7 Treasures of Awakening: The Benefits of Mindfulness

Among the Buddha's many teachings, his instruction on the Seven Factors of Awakening stands alone for the cumulative benefits it makes available to us. When we are firmly established in mindfulness, the Buddha explained, these seven "treasures" serve to steer the mind away from delusion and the causes of suffering, guiding us to the realization of freedom. In 7 Treasures of Awakening, Insight Meditation Society cofounder Joseph Goldstein reveals how each one of these qualities of enlightenment sequentially develop and support each other as our practice of mindfulness matures.Program Mindfulness, discrimination of states, energy, rapture, calm, concentration, and the seven "treasures" of awakeningThe four qualities of mindful attentionDhammavicaya, or "knowing what's what"Viriya (or energy), the root of all accomplishmentWell-balanced effortPīti, the antidote to anger and ill willReflecting on the Buddha, Dhamma, and SanghaThe role of calm on the path to awakeningJhāna and the four developments of concentrationSīla, ethical conductEquanimity versus indifferenceThe "great way" of non-preferential awarenessThe deep delight born of peaceExcerpted from A Practical Guide to Awakening, Joseph Goldstein's masterwork on the Buddha's instructions for a life lived consciously