34Saṃsāra(the Wheel of Rebirth)
While one’s body breaks apart ...wanting to go home, to be cured, and not to die.Taṇhā(Craving)Vedanā(Feelings, Sensation) SeveresufferingPhassa(Tactility) ĀyatanasceaseAt the time of physical death, all internal and external sense bases cease to function. The mind resists losing contact with the outer world. Without training, the mind falls into severe distress, as suffering arises and craving presses it to avoid facing the truth.
Upādāna(Clinging) As long as there isTaṇhā-Upādāna,... a succeeding Bhava arises.MohaThe mind longs to return to the former state, unable to release familiar patterns of perception and clinging. As a result, it reaches ahead, seeking a new becoming in which attachment can continue.36
(The Buddha’s Words)An existence of a new BhavaBhikkhus,what you intend, what you plan,and what you have underlying tendencies for,become a support forthe continuation of Viññāṇa. When this support exists, Viññāṇa becomes established. When Viññāṇa is established and grows, there is rebirth into a new Bhava (a state of existence) in the future. When a new Bhava emerges, future birth, aging, and death come to be, as do sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress.That is how this entire mass of suffering originates. Saṃyutta Nikāya 12.38 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/sn12.38
New Bhava?Moha38Duggati Sugati
Bhikkhus! Killing of living beings (Pāṇātipāta), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm (Tiracchānas), or the ghost realm (Pittivisaya). The minimum result it leads to for a human being is a short life span.Bhikkhus! Taking what is not given (Adinnādāna), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is loss of wealth.Bhikkhus! Sexual misconduct (Kāmesumicchācāra), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is rivalry and enmity.Bhikkhus! False speech ((Musāvāda), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is being falsely accused.(The Buddha’s Words) The Consequences (Vipāka) of Misconduct
Bhikkhus! Divisive speech (Pisuṇavācā), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is separation from friends.Bhikkhus! Harsh speech (Pharusavācā), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is hearing unpleasant sounds.Bhikkhus! Idle chatter (Samphappalāpa), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is that one’s words are not trusted.Bhikkhus! Intoxicants causing heedlessness (Surāmeraya), when cultivated, developed, and practiced, leads to hell, the animal realm, or the ghost realm. The minimum result it leads to for a human being is insanity.Aṅguttara Nikāya 8.40 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/an8.4040
Over the course of one’s life,when the mind grows familiarwith greed, hatred, and delusion,then at the time of deathit naturally clings to those habits.Images of repeatedly performed actions (Kamma)arise without interruption,especially when those habitshave involved breaking the Five Precepts.At that moment,the mind’s level of existence declinesbelow the human state.It should not be assumed thatkilling mosquitoesor drinking alcohol is insignificant.Unwholesome action is not definedby the size of the act.Each violation of the Five Preceptshammers greed, hatred, and delusionmore firmly into the mind.When the instant arrivesin which a new Bhavameets its corresponding Bhūmi,only then does one realize ...it is already too late.
Unskilful acts (Pāpa) are wrongdoings committed by transgressing the Five Precepts.42Destruction of life (Pāṇātipāta)Taking what has not been given (Adinnādāna)Sexual misconduct(Kāmesumicchācāra)Having false speech (Musāvāda)Drinking intoxicantsand taking drugs (Surāmeraya)
SatiLobha(Rāga)MohaDosaDivine beings (Brahmas)Celestial beings (Devatās)Human beings (Manussā)Hungry ghosts (Pittivisaya)Demons (Asurakāyas)Animals(Tiracchānas)Hell creatures (Nerayikas)
44Nothing you have done is ever lost.It is recorded in your mind.Sugati BhūmiDuggati Bhūmi
As one has no habitual mindfulness or Sati,Taṇhā (craving) becomes the driving force behind the mind’s creation of a new Bhava–Bhūmi.This arises from habitual deeds (Kamma)accumulated throughout one’s lifetime(including past lives).The moment when the mind may wander offto begin a new existence is uncertain.What is certain is that results must follow causes. Different causes give rise to different results.What does the mind incline toward?The deeds one performs most often shape the preferred mode of becoming, which arises together with a form appropriate to that existence.Taṇhā (Craving)
AnimalsHellcreatures DemonsHungry ghostsDivine beingsCelestial beingsHuman beingsSaṃsāra(Cycle of Rebirth)NextBhava46?
Birth of animalsDemons Hellcreatures Whatever arises in the mind ...... will become the next Bhava.
48The realm of hungry ghosts Divine beingsCelestial beingsHuman beingsMohaDosaLobhaSati
49It is very difficult to attainhumanness.(The Buddha’s Words)Saṃyutta Nikāya 56.47 (SuttaCentral) https://suttacentral.net/sn56.47Bhikkhus!Imagine the whole world submerged in water,and a yoke with a single holefloating upon it.The winds carry it in all directions,east to west, west to east,north to south, and south to north.In that vast water lives a blind turtlethat surfaces only once every hundred years.What do you think, Bhikkhus?Would it be possible for that blind turtle,surfacing once every hundred years,to put its neck through that single hole in the yoke?“It would be very unlikely, Venerable Sir.”
Just so, Bhikkhus,it is exceedingly rareto be reborn as a human being.It is equally rarefor a Fully Awakened Buddhato arise in the world,and for the Teaching and Disciplineproclaimed by the Buddhato be present in the world.But now, Bhikkhus,these rare conditions are fulfilled:humanness has been attained,a Fully Awakened Buddhahas arisen in the world,and the Teaching and Disciplineshines in the world.Therefore, Bhikkhus,you should make diligent effortto realize:this is suffering;this is the cause of suffering;this is the cessation of suffering;and this is the pathleading to the cessation of suffering.
(The Buddha’s Words)Causes for attaining Blissful States of Existence(Sugati Bhūmis)Purity threefold by way of body:1. Abstaining from taking lives of sentient beings2. Abstaining from taking what is not given3. Abstaining from sexual misconductPurity fourfold by way of speech:1. Abstaining from false speech2. Abstaining from divisive speech 3. Abstaining from harsh speech4. Abstaining from careless or frivolous speechPurity threefold by way of mind:1. Not being covetous, free from greed2. Not harboring ill will, free from hatred3. Holding right view, free from delusionThese are called Ten Kusala-Kammapatha(Ten courses of wholesome action),which cleanse and bring about purity.Through their practice, beings are born as humans, as gods, or in other fortunate realms.Aṅguttara Nikāya AN 10.176 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/an10.176
SatiSugati52Would it be betterif we could choose the journey ourselves?
Divine beings Celestial beingsHumanbeings Hungry ghostsDemons AnimalsHell creaturesBorn in DuggatiBorn in SugatiArising under the driving force of Sīla (morality) andSamādhi (meditative calm)As long as unwholesome causes are continually created, even abundant merit from Dāna (gifts) will not be enough to escape the woeful states of existence.
54The end of Causes toRebirth comesfrom the strength of Sīla (normality), Samādhi (tranquility), and Paññā (clear seeing).One can choose one’s own path,as long as one still has ... a breath.
55Saṃsāra may be likened to a journey with no destination.The Buddha taught that this path has “no discernible beginning and no discoverable end”. Beings are born and pass away again and again, according to causes and conditions that shape each moment. Other than suffering, nothing enduring can be found.Sometimes suffering seems mild, because wholesomeconduct temporarily gives pleasant results. Failing to see the truth, one calls this happiness. But when those conditions shift or fade away, since all conditioned things are impermanent and without self, suffering turns back, often more sharply than before. Thus, goodness based only on moral conduct can serve only as a temporary shelter.The supreme goal of the Buddha’s teaching is not arrival, but the ending of the journey itself. It is the complete and lasting release from suffering, when the mind transcends merit and demerit, happiness and dissatisfaction, Sukha and Dukkha,so that suffering finds no footing at all.If this is not yet your aspiration today, there is no need to force it. If you are still enjoying this long wandering, that is acceptable. At the very least, choose a gentler route, one with less suffering, or what we conventionally call happiness, to sustain the journey, until someday, far ahead, true dispassion naturally matures.
Three meritorious deeds (Puññakiriyāvatthu)Conditions for a smoother journeyMerit (Puñña) means cleansing greed, hatred, and delusion, all the way to purifying the feeling of “me” and “mine”. It is a relinquishing, not an acquiring, as people often believe.Dāna (Gift giving)Sīla(Morality/ Precepts)Bhāvanā(Mind cultivation)Very few peoplecan do it.Good peoplecan do it.Everyone can do it.There is no need to fear that by giving up, you will gain nothing in return. Dāna, Sīla, and Bhāvanā each carry their own fruits, all oriented toward Sugati, according to their respective levels. It is like doing your work and knowing for sure that your wages will be paid, without the slightest worry.… is the giving up of what we take to be mine, cleansing greed and attachment (Upādāna).… is the careful restraint of body and speech, not intending harm or oppression toward others. It purifies Lobha, Dosa, and Moha, and establishes the mind in a state of normality,providing a foundation for Bhāvanā.… is the cultivation of wisdom,giving rise to right understanding that whatever is gained, encountered, or possessed along this long journey holds nothing worth taking or becoming.All things lead to suffering, are constantly changing, until one is able to let go of me and mine.
Let us now reflect onThe Buddha’s Words regarding“Dāna, Sīla, Bhava-Bhūmi”Venerable Gotama!Brahmins like me give Dāna (gifts), then dedicate merit for the dead, thinking, “may this gift support my departed relatives and family, may they share in this gift”.Is this belief true, do departed relatives and family really receive and partake of it?Aṅguttara Nikāya 10.177 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/an10.177(wording adapted by the author)
58Brahmin!That gift succeeds in a proper basis (Ṭhāna),when relatives are in a state able to receive gifts,and it does not succeed in an improper basis (Aṭṭhāna),when relatives are in a state unable to receive gifts.Venerable Gotama!What, then, is a proper basis?And what is not a proper basis?
Nerayikas(Hell denizens)Brahmin!Some people in this world abide in the ten Akusala-Kammapatha.When such a person dies, they are reborn in hell.They sustain their existence there, remain there,and live on the food of hell beings.This is called an improper basis,a condition in which the results of Dāna cannot be received.
60Tiracchāna(Animal birth)Brahmin!Some people in this world abide in the ten Akusala-Kammapatha.When such a person dies, they are reborn in the animal realm. They sustain their existence there,remain there, and live on the food of animals.This is called an improper basis,a condition in which the results of Dāna cannot be received.
Brahmin!Some people in this world refrain completely from the Ten Akusala-Kammapatha.When such a person dies, they are reborn as a human being. They sustain their existence in the human world, and remain there nourished by human food.This is an improper basis, a state in which the results of Dāna cannot be received.Manussā(Human beings)
62Devatās(Celestial beings)Brahmin! Some people in this world refrain completely from the Ten Akusala-Kammapatha.When such a person passes away, they are reborn as a Deva. They sustain their existence in the deva world, abiding there on deva food.This is an improper basis, a state in which the results of Dāna cannot be received.
Pittivisaya (Realm of hungry ghosts)Brahmin!Some people in this world live established in the Ten Akusala-Kammapatha.When such a person dies, they are reborn in the realm of Peta. They sustain their existence there on the food of beings born in the Peta realm, which relatives or friends have dedicated as Dāna.This is called a proper basis,a state in which the results of Dāna can be received.
64Venerable Gotama!If I have no relatives who are Petas at all,then who would consume that Dāna?Brahmin!Relatives of yours from former lives who have become Petasdo consume that Dāna.
Venerable Gotama!If even among my relatives from past lives there are none who are Petas,who, then, consumes that Dāna??Brahmin!In this long course of wandering on in Saṃsāra, there is no one who has never hadrelatives who were Petas.
66The one who dedicates italso receivesthe resultof that Dāna ...Brahmin!Furthermore, the one who dedicates the Dāna also receives the fruit of that Dāna himself.Even if, after death, one is reborn as an animal,a human, or a Deva, one still experiences the five strands of sensual pleasure according to that mode of existence (pleasures through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body).Brahmin!For this reason, Dāna that has been dedicatedis never without result for the donor.
Venerable Gotama!Your words are perfectly clear and illuminating. May the Venerable Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge for life, from this day onward.
68Do you still want to keep this traveling?If you are still enjoying this long journey, the stations where you must stop along the way will inevitably be these various realms of existence, which are actually divided in detail into as many as 31 planes of existence.If we examine this passage from the Buddha’s Words carefully, we can see that the true dividing line determining whether one reaches a woeful destination or a fortunate one lies simply in whether one violates Sīla or not, that is, the 10 Unwholesome Courses of Action and the 10 Wholesome Courses of Action.As for Dāna that you have given, its beneficial results will still follow you, even if after death you are reborn as an animal, a human, or a deva. (Giving much Dāna alone does not guarantee escape from the woeful realms). Up and down, again and again, like this.But if you begin to feel dispassionate toward the uncertainty of Samsāra,and wish to bring this wandering to an end, …... this is the way out .
The Buddha declared thatbirth itself is suffering,because ten further things inevitably follow it, without exception:aging, illness, death, lamentation,physical pain, mental pain,distress, encountering what is displeasing,separation from what is loved and pleasing,and not obtaining what one desires.Look carefully again and ask yourself:is this life truly happiness, or suffering?Do you still delight in continuingthis cycle of being born and dying?Most importantly, do not forget:we cannot remain in a sugati realm forever.Diverse causes inevitably produce diverse results.
70… that the Buddha taught is the path of Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā (normality, tranquility, and clear seeing). Its highest aim is to gradually thin out, and eventually uproot, the sense of “me” and “mine”.Put simply, it is the gradual weakening and ending of Kilesas (greed, hatred, and delusion).As Kilesas decrease step by step, suffering decreases step by step as well, until there is the complete ending of suffering, with no remaining cause for rebirth.At first, this may sound dull, boring, or joyless,as if one must retreat to the forest,give up movies, music, travel, and enjoyment.But it is quite the opposite. The mind becomes so genuinely at ease that such things naturally lose their pull. This is happiness born of inner peace, not dependent on stimulation or craving. One may still eat, use things, and live as before, but with mindfulness, no longer driven by hunger or attachment.It is like someone addicted to drugs, who believes happiness comes from using them, until one day they are free, and discover that true happiness is freedom from what once enslaved them.The way out of suffering ...
(The Buddha’s Words)The characteristics of the Supremedevelopment of the sense faculties. Ānanda, how is the supreme development of the faculties taught in the Noble Discipline?When Bhikkhus see a form with the eyes, feelings of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality arise.They clearly know:“Satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality has arisen in me.This is conditioned, coarse, and arisen from causes.But there is another state that is peaceful and subtle, namely equanimity (Upekkhā).”With this understanding, the satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality that has arisen fades away,while equanimity remains.It happens as swiftly and effortlessly as the opening and closing of the eyes. Thus quickly do these feelings cease, leaving equanimity as what endures.This is called the supreme development of the faculties in the Noble Discipline in regard to forms known by the eyes.(The same principle applies to sounds, smells, tastes, bodily sensations, and mind objects.)Majjhima Nikāya 152 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/mn152
72The Path of Sīla, Samādhi, and PaññāThis path begins with Sati taking the lead, as Indriya-Saṃvara Sīla, the careful guarding of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. From this guarding arises steadiness. When liking or disliking occurs, it naturally fades away. By repeatedly stopping and ceasing in this way, one becomes familiar with cessation itself. Gradually, these reactions weaken and disappear, without giving rise to Kilesas or Taṇhā.The mind becomes free from that object, bringing clarity and brightness. When the mind is bright, Paññā arises. When Paññā has arisen, Kilesas and Taṇhā can no longer hide in a mind that is luminous. The mind becomes complete as Dhamma, wholly and naturally.When the mind is well guarded, Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā manifest in the mind. When Dhamma appears in the mind,Kilesas and Taṇhā have no footing.When the entire mind becomes Dhamma,Kilesas and Taṇhā cannot remain concealed.This is called Bhāvanā, or Dhamma practice: making Dhamma appear directly in the mind. Beyond the refined and highest Sugati that results from such practice, this cultivation is also the primary conditionfor bringing this journey to its complete end.
73Sati(Mindfulness)ArisingCeasingCeasingArisingSeeingunpleasantnessSeeingunpleasantnessSeeingpleasantnessSeeingpleasantnessSamādhi(Tranquility)Sīla(Normality)Paññā(Clear seeing)Indriya-Saṃvara(Restraint of the senses)
When one’s mind is well restrained,Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññāmanifest in the mind on their own . ... Sīlaoriginates from the restraint of the senses,the guarding of the six sense media,eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.When the sense media are composed in this way, one does not transgress the Five Precepts.The mind remains in a state of normality.This forms the foundation for fostering …... Samādhiwhich is the mindful remaining steadilyin a state of oneness, ready to be activewhen the sense media are aroused.This further supports and strengthens Sīla.... PaññāWhen the mind abides in such harmony and peace, one can see the truthas it really is, that whatever arisesdoes so due to a cause, and ceases when that cause has ceased.
SatiSteadfastness of the mind gives rise to “self-restraint”, and from this is born the “intention (Cetanā)” to refrain from and not follow whatever defilements may induce.Guarding the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind will not allow the defiling tendencies and habits to influence the mind, resulting in steadiness when the six senses are aroused.When the mind is with Dhamma,there is no room for Kilesas.
76Sati(Mindfulness)When one endures by not allowing defilements to control one’s actions, mindfulness helps protect that person from adding habits to the underlyingtendency (Anusaya) that gives rise to defilements. In this way, the habits and strength of mindfulness are enhanced.Not only is no new Anusaya added, but the old ones are gradually cleansed. If one continues practicing like this for a long time, one will notice that “defilements” lessen, or if they arise, they quickly cease, as there is nothing to fuel them. The cause leads to a result.AnusayasThe result affects the cause.
It may seem easy, but having read up to this point, one may still be in doubt about what to do exactly, how to control one’s senses, or how to be mindful.In the beginning, the mind needs to be trained away from its old habit of unguarded indulgence and directed toward mindfulness of the body first. Many techniques are available, but let us begin with these ...Mindfulness of Breathing(Ānāpānasati)With a steady mind and Sati,observing long out-breath,with a steady mind and Sati,observing long in-breath,with a steady mind and Sati,observing short out-breath,with a steady mind and Sati,observing short in-breath.Practice …SatiWhenstraythoughtsarise;come backto thebreathing.77recallSati,
And … Mindfulness of the Body (Kāyagatā-Sati),LookingThis passage underlines that both techniques are forms of drilling meant to familiarize practitioners with Sati, enabling them to stay fully in the present moment and develop meditative calm. Such calm is not, in fact, the final aim of the practice, but an essential foundation for the arising of wisdom. These two methods are commonly referred to as sitting meditation and walking meditation.SwayingStretchingTreadingBendingthe cultivation of comprehending awareness (Sampajañña).There is awareness while moving, looking or glancing,when curling or stretching the legs,when swaying the arms,when the feet touch the ground.Maintain this awareness consistently and thoroughly. Become accustomed to it.Become familiar with it.
79(The Buddha’s Words)Mindfulness of the Body(Kāyagatā-Sati)Bhikkhus!Imagine a person capturing six animals, each with different habitats and feeding grounds, and tying them together with strong ropes. They tie a snake, a crocodile, a bird, a dog, a jackal, and a monkey, each with a firm rope, and then fasten them to a solid post or pillar.Bhikkhus!Because those six animals have different habitats and feeding grounds, they each pull toward their own domain:the snake toward a termite mound,the crocodile toward the water,the bird toward the sky,the dog toward the village,the jackal toward the charnel ground,and the monkey toward the forest.Bhikkhus!When those six animals become weary and exhausted, they eventually stand still, sit down, or lie down right beside that post or pillar.In just the same way, when a Bhikkhu has well developed and cultivated Kāyagatā-Sati, the eye is not dragged toward pleasing forms, and displeasing forms do not cause distress or aversion;
Saḷāyatana Saṃyutta (SN 35.247, SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/sn35.247the ear is not dragged toward pleasing sounds, and displeasing sounds do not cause distress or aversion;the nose is not dragged toward pleasing odors, and displeasing odors do not cause distress or aversion;the tongue is not dragged toward pleasing tastes, and displeasing tastes do not cause distress or aversion;the body is not dragged toward pleasing touches, and displeasing touches do not cause distress or aversion;the mind is not dragged toward pleasing mind-objects, and displeasing mind-objects do not cause distress or aversion.Bhikkhus!The term “a strong post or pillar” is a name for Kāyagatā-Sati.Therefore, Bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus:“We will develop mindfulness of the body, cultivate it, make it our vehicle and support, establish it firmly, strengthen it with care, and practice it continuously.”Bhikkhus!This is how you should train.
(The Buddha’s Words)Mindfulness of Breathing(Ānāpānasati)Bhikkhus,when Ānāpānasati Samādhi is developed and cultivated, it leads to the abandoning of Anusayas.Bhikkhus,in what way does Ānāpānasati Samādhi, when developed and cultivated, abandon Anusayas?Here, a Bhikkhu goes to the forest, or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty hut. Sitting down cross-legged, they keep the body upright and establish mindfulness firmly.With mindfulness present, they breathe out.With mindfulness present, they breathe in.(Step 1)Breathing out long, they fully know the long out-breath.Breathing in long, they fully know the long in-breath.(Step 2)Breathing out short, they fully know the short out-breath.Breathing in short, they fully know the short in-breath.... The author has taken the liberty to condense some parts of this sutta to suit the content of this book. For the complete discourse, see Lecture Notes from the Buddha’s Words 3, or at the Ānāpānasati Sutta.81
- Ānāpānasati SuttaRef: https://suttacentral.net/mn118- Ānāpānasati (Mindfulness of Breathing), by Ven. Ajahn Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu,translated by Bhikkhu NāgasenaRef: https://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/anapanasati.pdf(Step 13)They train thus: “I will breathe out contemplating impermanence (Aniccā).”They train thus: “I will breathe in contemplating impermanence (Aniccā).”(Step 14)They train thus: “I will breathe out contemplating fading away (Virāga).”They train thus: “I will breathe in contemplating fading away (Virāga).”(Step 15)They train thus: “I will breathe out contemplating cessation (Nirodha).”They train thus: “I will breathe in contemplating cessation (Nirodha).”(Step 16)They train thus: “I will breathe out contemplating relinquishment (Paṭinissagga).”They train thus: “I will breathe in contemplating relinquishment (Paṭinissagga).”Bhikkhus,Ānāpānasati Samādhi, developed and cultivated in this way, is for the complete removal of Anusayas.
This practice becomes much more supportive when you intentionally create favorable conditions, both outside and within, in the following ways:Practicing restraint of the sense faculties: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.Maintaining firm commitment to the Five Moral Precepts.Gradually reducing, abandoning, and avoiding environments, as well as patterns of thinking, speaking, and acting that give rise to Akusala (greed, hatred, and delusion).Choosing environments, and cultivating ways of thinking, speaking, and acting that encourage the arising of Kusala, particularly Sati.Whenever Akusala appears in the mind, it should be recognized and relinquished at once, and Kusala should be actively cultivated by returning to Sati in daily activities, such as awareness of breathing or bodily movements.Regular practice of Samādhi, through both walking and sitting meditation, strengthens the mind’s stability and builds familiarity with Kusala. Over time, this leads to the spontaneous recollection of Sati whenever Akusala attempts to arise.All of this is called Bhāvanā (Mind Cultivation).(Which may differ from what one has heard before.)