This guided meditation practice involves the following classic mindfulness images and similes:
- a relaxed cowherd after the harvest
- surgeons probe gathering information before action
- ploughshare to prep the ground for wisdom
- elephant’s neck supporting the head of wisdom while turning the full body to look, not just the head, for full attention
- climbing a platform with detachment for an broader perspective and overview
- town gatekeeper knowing who to keep out and able to direct who comes in
- wheel spokes connecting the hub of the body to the outside of the wheel of our experiences while helping to steer
- hitching post to tame and keep animals from wandering off all the while the strong post remains unmoved
- balancing aspect like walking with bowl of oil atop the head
Other relevant imagery:
Faith and wisdom are evenly yoked together.
Conscience is its pole, the mind is the rope tied to the yoke, Awareness is the watchful charioteer.
from SN 45:4
Suppose a king had a frontier city with strong ramparts and walls, with six gates. A wise gatekeeper keeps out strangers and admits acquaintances. A swift pair of messengers would come from the east and ask the gatekeeper: “Where is the lord of this city?” He would reply: “He is sitting in the central square.” Then the swift messengers would deliver a message of reality to the lord. …
The meaning here is: ‘The city;’ is a term for the body. ‘The six gates’ is the six internal sense bases. ‘The gatekeeper’ is awareness. The swift messengers are tranquility and insight. ‘The lord of the city’ is consciousness. … ‘The message of reality’ is Nibbāna.
From SN 35:245
Any river can be stopped with the dam of awareness. I call it the flood-stopper. And with wisdom you can close the floodgates.
from Sutta Nipāta v. 1035
Note: A Turner is “One who or that which turns; specifically, one whose occupation involves work with a lathe.” The following sutta selection implies and highlights keeping a steady attention as a whole on the entire piece of lathe wood in addition to the action of cutting into it:
“Monks, just as a skilled turner or apprentice turner who is making a long turn understands ‘I am making a long turn,’ or when making a short turn understands ‘I am making a short turn,’ in the same way, when a monk is breathing in a long breath, he understands ‘I am breathing in a long breath,’ or when breathing out a long breath, he understands ‘I am breathing out a long breath.’ When breathing in a short breath, he understands ‘I am breathing in a short breath,’ or when breathing out a short breath, he understands ‘I am breathing out a short breath.’ He trains in this way: ‘I will breathe in experiencing the whole body.’ He trains in this way: ‘I will breathe out experiencing the whole body.’ He trains in this way: ‘I will breathe in calming the body.’ He trains in this way: ‘I will breathe out calming the body.’
Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta—Suddhāso Bhikkhu
10. Great Discourse on the Establishment of Mindfulness
“If, on examination, a monk knows, ‘I usually remain covetous, with thoughts of ill will, overcome by sloth & drowsiness, restless, uncertain, angry, with soiled thoughts, with my body aroused, lazy, or unconcentrated,’ then he should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, relentlessness, mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities. Just as when a person whose turban or head was on fire would put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, relentlessness, mindfulness, & alertness to put out the fire on his turban or head; in the same way, the monk should put forth extra desire, effort, diligence, endeavor, relentlessness, mindfulness, & alertness for the abandoning of those very same evil, unskillful qualities.
“But if, on examination, a monk knows, ‘I usually remain uncovetous, without thoughts of ill will, free of sloth & drowsiness, not restless, gone beyond uncertainty, not angry, with unsoiled thoughts, with my body unaroused, with persistence aroused, & concentrated,’ then his duty is to make an effort in maintaining those very same skillful qualities to a higher degree for the ending of the effluents.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.051.than.html
Meditation Audio: Classic Mindfulness Imagery
Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)
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