Mindfulness of Breathing

Balancing the Seven Factors of Enlightenment
If one is to achieve jhàna using mindfulness-of-breathing, it is also important to balance the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. They are:

1. The Enlightenment Factor of Mindfulness (sati), which is the mindfulness that remembers the pañibhàga-nimitta, and discerns it again and again.
2. The Enlightenment Factor of Investigation of Phenomena (dhammavicaya), which is the penetrative understanding of the pañibhàga-nimitta.
3. The Enlightenment Factor of Effort (vãriya), which is the effort to bring the enlightenment factors together, and balance them on the pañibhàga-nimitta; especially the effort to further strengthen the Enlightenment Factor of Investigation of Phenomena, and the Enlightenment Factor of Effort itself.
4. The Enlightenment Factor of Joy (pãti), which is the gladness of the mind when experiencing the pañibhàga-nimitta.
5. The Enlightenment Factor of Tranquillity (passaddhi), which is the calmness of the mind and mental-concomitants that have the pañibhàga-nimitta as their object.
6. The Enlightenment Factor of Concentration (samàdhi), which is the one-pointedness of the mind on the pañibhàga-nimitta.
7. The Enlightenment Factor of Equanimity (upekkhà), which is the evenness of mind that becomes neither excited nor withdrawn from the pañibhàga-nimitta.

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