Healing mindfulness as a defence

A mind guarded by mindfulness is freed from the bonds of Māra.

Gotama (the Buddha)

Each time you return to the present, you are choosing freedom over habit.

Jack Kornfield

Read more: 31 – Mindfulness as the vigilant watchman

We now begin with the third of the ‘Five Defenders’ – Healing Mindfulness (sati). If Confidence provides the trust to step aboard the raft and Courageous Effort provides the energy to move forward, then Healing Mindfulness serves as the vigilant watchman. It is the attentive, clear-seeing presence that allows the raft to be steered wisely.

The Pāli word sati literally means ‘to remember’ or ‘to keep in mind’. In this practice, it is remembering to pay attention to the present-moment experience without judgment, but with wise discernment. It is a clear, alert, and non-judging awareness of what is happening now – sensations in the body, tones of feeling, movements of thought, and changes in the world around us.

Healing Mindfulness is the direct antidote to the mindlessness, dissociation, and distraction where patterns of escape and self-sabotage thrive. It helps us meet pain without avoidance, pleasure without clinging, and impulses without automatically acting on them. By cultivating Healing Mindfulness, we create a crucial pause, a space between stimulus and response where choice becomes possible. This clear seeing is the primary tool for recognising the persuasive whispers of Māra – the voice of craving, aversion and confusion – before it can take hold of the raft’s rudder. 

In the context of this journey, mindfulness takes a specific form. The Secular Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor’s model of mindfulness clarifies that the task of abandoning harmful cravings requires what he calls ‘therapeutic mindfulness’ and we have termed this Healing Mindfulness. This form of mindfulness is particularly aligned with the second foundation of mindfulness – Mindfulness of Feeling Tone (which we explored in Chapter 27), which allows us to see, feel, and understand experience just as it is. It is the capacity that meets reactivity not with suppression or indulgence, but with calm awareness.

Placed within the ‘Five Defenders’, Healing Mindfulness stands in the middle. It is supported by ‘Confidence’ and ‘Courageous Effort’, steadied by ‘A Gathered Mind’, and clarified by ‘Discernment’. Each of the Defenders relies on the others: Confidence motivates mindfulness; Courageous Effort keeps it alive; a Gathered Mind provides stability for it to rest upon; and Discernment uses the data mindfulness provides to guide wise choice.

In our RAFT to Freedom metaphor, where there is a single captain, navigator, and crew, Healing Mindfulness is the lookout. It constantly scans the surrounding waters (external triggers), monitors the internal weather (the emotional climate), and checks the condition of the raft itself (internal states, bodily sensations, thoughts). As the vigilant watchman, Healing Mindfulness notices the subtle currents of Feeling Tone, spots the first signs of leaks (cravings), and sees approaching hazards early. This allows the inner navigator (Discernment) to plot a skillful course and the inner crew (Courageous Effort) to respond effectively, rather than the whole vessel reacting blindly. Without this protective and constant vigilance, the raft is blind; with it, the voyage becomes navigable.

How to practise Healing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of remembering – returning again and again to what is actually happening in the present moment. These practices help steady the raft amid the currents of craving, distraction, and habit. Some are formal, anchored in dedicated moments of practice; others are informal, woven through the ordinary flow of daily life.

Formal practices

• Mindfulness of breathing: Return to the present anchor. Each breath becomes a point of steadiness – the place you return to when the waves of thought, craving, or distraction rise. Every gentle return to the breath is an act of remembering: the raft is here, and you are still afloat.
  • Purpose on the raft: to steady awareness and strengthen presence, even amid restless waters.
• Body scan meditation: Reconnect mind and body; ground awareness in the vessel itself. As attention moves slowly through the body, sensations are felt directly – tightness, warmth, pulsing, release. This practice restores the sense of wholeness and balance that keeps the raft stable.
  • Purpose on the raft: to re-establish balance and sensitivity to early signs of strain or disconnection.
• Mindful movement
  Bring awareness into motion – walking, stretching, or yoga. Notice how balance shifts, effort flows, and rhythm changes. Movement becomes a teacher of agility and responsiveness.
  • Purpose on the raft: to stay flexible and responsive, learning how to adjust when conditions change.

Informal practices

• Mindful check-ins: Pause briefly throughout the day to ask: “What is happening right now? What is present in the body? What thoughts are appearing? What feelings are here?”. Each check-in is a small act of navigation – a way to orient ourselves before the current carries us elsewhere.
  • Purpose on the raft: to keep awareness alive in the midst of daily flow.
• Mindful routines: Bring full attention to simple actions – washing dishes, eating, showering – and notice every sensory detail. When mindfulness enters ordinary moments, even the smallest act becomes part of the path.
  • Purpose on the raft: to transform autopilot living into continuous practice, making each moment part of the journey.
• Urge surfing: When a craving arises, meet it with mindful curiosity. Feel its sensations rise, crest, and fall like a wave passing beneath the raft. There is no need to act or resist; simply ride it out with awareness.
  • Purpose on the raft: to strengthen confidence and trust in your ability to stay afloat when urges swell.
• Noting and labelling: Gently name what arises – “thinking,” “worrying,” “craving is here,” “sadness is felt.” This naming creates space between awareness and experience, loosening the pull of habitual reactions.
  • Purpose on the raft: to cultivate clarity and distance, preventing the mind from being swept away.
• Observing Feeling Tones: Notice the immediate flavour of experience – pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral – without needing to analyse or fix it. Seeing Feeling Tones clearly reveals the undercurrents that drive craving and aversion.
  • Purpose on the raft: to recognise early signs of reactivity and steer the course toward freedom.

Healing mindfulness — the protector 

Together, these practices form the living discipline of Healing Mindfulness – the mindful Defender that stands watch at the gate of the heart. It notices what approaches before it enters: a thought, an emotion, a craving, a memory. It does not fight or flee, but simply recognises what is here. In this recognition, the power to choose arises. Through remembering, the raft steadies. Through awareness, the traveller learns again and again how to meet the moment – and stay free upon the water.

Self-reflections 

• How often does the experience of being on ‘autopilot’ arise, compared with being consciously present?
• What happens when a craving is observed without an immediate action being taken?
• When physical or emotional discomfort arises, what is the typical response of the body-mind?
• What role does self-judgment play when trying to be mindful? Does it help or hinder?
• What conditions support the recognition of craving in its early stages, before it becomes overwhelming?
• Can a time be recalled when simply being aware of a situation, without trying to change it, brought a sense of calm or clarity?
• How might mindfulness support the other Defenders (Confidence, Effort, a Gathered Mind, Discernment) on the journey from suffering to freedom?

Journaling prompts

• Mindful moment: Choose one routine daily activity (for example, drinking a morning beverage). Commit to doing it mindfully for a few days. Journal about what is noticed – sensations, thoughts, impulses – when focused awareness is brought to it.
• Observing an urge: The next time a significant compulsion arises, try to pause and observe it mindfully for at least one minute before deciding how to respond. Afterwards, write about the physical sensations, thoughts, and intensity that were noticed. Did it change during the observation?
• Noticing judgment: Pay attention to moments of self-judgment. When the inner critic arises, simply note it – ‘judgment is present’ – without judging the judgment itself. Write about this experience – what is it like to observe the critic without engaging?
• The observer: Reflect on the idea of an ‘observing awareness’ that can notice thoughts, feelings, and sensations without being identical to them. Write about moments when this sense of being the observer has been experienced.
• Tracking ‘Feeling Tone’: For one day, notice when feelings are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Journal about how awareness of these tones influenced choices and reactions.
• Mindlessness and habit: Reflect on the relationship between mindlessness and compulsive behaviours. When is the mind most likely to be on ‘autopilot,’ and how does this state contribute to harmful patterns?
• Mindfulness and the other Defenders: Reflect on a situation where mindfulness worked together with confidence, effort, A Gathered Mind, or Discernment. How did this teamwork support freedom?

Supporting Material: scientific and philosophical perspectives

For those interested in the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of Healing Mindfulness as a Defender, the following overview highlights some key connections.

• Neuroscience: Mindfulness practice is consistently linked to changes in brain structure and function. It strengthens activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which supports executive functions like attention control, emotional regulation, and impulse inhibition. It helps regulate the amygdala, the brain’s alarm system, reducing reactivity to stress and emotional triggers. Practice also decreases activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), linked to mind-wandering, rumination, and self-centred thinking. Furthermore, it enhances interoception – the awareness of internal bodily states – which helps detect cravings and aversions as they arise.
• Psychology: Mindfulness is a core component of many evidence-based therapies, including MBSR, MBCT, DBT, MBRP and ACT. It facilitates cognitive defusion (or decentering), which is the ability to see thoughts as temporary mental events rather than as commands or absolute truths. It enhances emotional regulation by creating space before reaction and improves distress tolerance by helping individuals stay present with discomfort. By enhancing awareness of internal signals, it is crucial for identifying triggers and interrupting the automatic behavioural patterns that fuel the human struggle with craving and avoidance.
• Philosophy: The emphasis on present-moment awareness resonates with phenomenological and existential traditions that prioritise direct, lived experience. The practice of non-judgmental observation aligns with Stoic ideals of seeing events objectively without adding distressing interpretations. Buddhist philosophy places Mindfulness, ‘sati’ at the heart of the path, considering it essential for seeing reality clearly (yathābhūta) and abandoning the causes of suffering. The practice encourages a ‘Radical Acceptance’ of reality as it is, which is not passive resignation but a courageous willingness to be with the truth of the present moment – the necessary foundation for wise action.

Remember to remember

Healing Mindfulness is the gatekeeper of freedom. It is the practice of remembering to return to the present moment, again and again, with kindness and clarity. As the vigilant watch on our raft, it stands guard, noticing the storms of craving and confusion as they gather on the horizon. This early awareness gives us time to prepare and respond wisely, rather than being capsized by their force.

Remember that mindfulness is not about eliminating thoughts or feelings; it is about noticing them with a kind and steady attention, neither clinging nor rejecting. Each moment of awareness weakens old patterns and strengthens freedom. Together with the other Defenders, Healing Mindfulness ensures balance: Confidence provides trust, Courageous Effort fuels persistence, A Gathered Mind brings stability, and Discernment guides the course. Healing Mindfulness weaves them all together, allowing the voyage to be guided with clarity and care.

Mindfulness isn’t difficult; we just need to remember to do it.

Sharon Salzberg

Each act of mindful awareness is a small rebellion against the tyranny of habit.

Stephen Batchelor

Sutta References

• Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10 / DN 22) – The Foundations of Mindfulness
  • Summary: This is the foundational discourse detailing the practice of mindfulness across four domains: body, feeling tones, mind states, and dhammas (mental qualities or principles). It describes sati as the ‘direct path to purification’. It provides the canonical basis for mindfulness practice and shows its vital role in noticing feeling tone, which is crucial for abandoning craving.
• Indriya-vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 48.10) – Analysis of the Faculties / Bala Sutta (AN 5.14) – The Powers
  • Summary: These texts define sati as both a spiritual faculty (indriya) and a power (bala). As a faculty, it may waver, but when developed into a power, it becomes unshakable by heedlessness or forgetfulness. They explain how consistent practice matures mindfulness into a dependable strength—the very role it plays as a Defender.
• Vitakkasanthana Sutta (MN 20) – The Relaxation of Thoughts
  • Summary: This sutta offers five practical strategies for addressing unwholesome or distracting thoughts, a process which requires first mindfully noticing their presence. It demonstrates mindfulness as the essential first step in recognising and interrupting harmful mental patterns that lead to suffering.

RAFT to Freedom © 2025 by Dr Cathryn Jacob and Vince Cullen is licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

Chapter 32: A Gathered Mind as a defence

The steady defender

We cannot see clearly because we are agitated, and we are agitated because we cannot see clearly.

Richard Gombrich 

In zazen, leave your front door and your back door open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don’t serve them tea.

Shunryu Suzuki 

Read more: 32 – The Steady Defender

Gathering the scattered mind

We now arrive at the fourth of our Five Defenders on the journey to freedom – ‘A Gathered Mind’, known in Pāli as samādhi. This Defender builds directly upon the foundation laid by ‘Healing Mindfulness’. While mindfulness is the faculty of noticing what arises in our experience, a Gathered Mind is the capacity to gather and sustain that awareness, bringing stability and clarity to the mind.

The word samādhi literally means ‘placing or bringing together,’ referring to the unification of the mind. It is the direct antidote to the scattered, restless, or agitated state – sometimes called washing machine head – that is intimately familiar to those struggling with harmful compulsions. If Healing Mindfulness is the lookout on our raft, A Gathered Mind is the keel and ballast, preventing it from capsizing and steadying its course in turbulent waters.

A mind lacking this quality is easily hijacked. A fleeting thought, an external trigger, or a wave of anxiety can send it spiraling into obsessive thinking or a compulsive act. Developing a Gathered Mind provides the steadfastness needed to observe these internal storms without being swept away, allowing us to see cravings and aversions clearly without having to obey them.

The four dimensions of a Gathered Mind in the 37 liberating practices

Gotama consistently placed a Gathered Mind at the heart of the path, where it appears four times across the 37 liberating practices, his core curriculum for attaining freedom. These repeated appearances are not redundant; they illustrate the progressive development of concentration from a raw potential into a profound, refined state of mind.

Concentration – the gathering power

1. The developmental path: from Faculty to Power
   1. Faculty of concentration
      Concentration first appears as the ability to recognise distraction and gently bring the mind back to its chosen focus. Its role is to control and actively overcome mental wandering, helping us stay present despite competing thoughts and impulses. At this stage, it is a developing faculty – a potential we all have that must be carefully balanced with energy. Too much force brings restlessness; too little, dullness. Through mindful practice, this faculty strengthens gradually, much like training an unsteady muscle to hold its balance.
   2. Power of concentration
      Through sustained and consistent practice, which we introduced in chapter 7, this fragile faculty matures into an intrinsic and reliable Defender. As steadiness deepens, concentration becomes unshakeable – impervious to distraction and scattering. It shifts from a consciously applied skill to an inner strength that holds firm amid craving, uncertainty, or emotional turbulence. This power provides the raft with its steady keel – the strength to remain upright and stable even when the waters of experience become rough. Here it is mature – a dependable embodied resilience of mind and heart.
2. The tactical path: a support for freedom

When refined, concentration functions as a Support for freedom (bojjhaṅga), a specific medicine within the Seven Supports that belong to the calming group. Its role is to settle agitation and restlessness whenever they arise. In practice, it acts like a cooling balm applied precisely where the mind overheats with worry, craving, or irritation. Cultivated intentionally, it brings balance and clarity to moments of reactivity, allowing awareness to self-regulate in real time. At this stage, a Gathered Mind becomes responsive – a living quality of presence that restores inner equilibrium and steadies insight. We explore the Seven Supports in more detail within the third stage of our journey (chapter 43 onwards).

3.  The culminating path: ‘Appropriate Concentration’

Fully matured, concentration culminates in Appropriate Concentration (sammā-samādhi) – the final factor of the ‘Middleway’ – mental discipline. This is defined as the attainment of deep meditative absorptions where the five hindrances (chapters 37 – 42) are absent. In these profound states, the mind is unified, still, and radiant – perfectly balanced between alertness and ease. This stillness forms a platform from which intuitive wisdom can arise naturally. At this level, concentration is profound – the highest expression of mental unification. We will be exploring the Middleway in the final stage of our journey (Chapter 57 onwards) .

In the stillness of a gathered mind, wisdom arises naturally.

Gotama (The Buddha)

How to cultivate a Gathered Mind

We cultivate a Gathered Mind primarily through formal practice, allowing it to move from a fragile faculty to an unshakeable Defender.

• Mindfulness of breathing: Gently focus your attention on the physical sensation of the breath. When the mind wanders, kindly acknowledge the distraction and return your focus. This is the foundational practice for building a Gathered Mind. (Chapter 8)
• Loving-Kindness meditation: Use phrases of kindness toward yourself and others as the sustained object of focus. This not only builds concentration but also nurtures the heart. (Chapter 26)
• Practise single-tasking: Intentionally resist multitasking. When eating, just eat; when listening, just listen. Bring your undivided attention to the task at hand to strengthen your focus in daily life.
• Notice calm as well as craving: Pay attention to moments when the mind is naturally not reactive. Briefly dwell there. Recognising calm reinforces the possibility of Freedom – the ‘F’ in our RAFT metaphor – and makes it a familiar refuge.
• Check the mind’s tone: Occasionally pause during the day to ask: “How gathered is the mind right now?” This simple inquiry increases the awareness of scattering and serves as an invitation to return to steadiness.

Self-reflections

• How scattered or gathered does the mind usually feel during an average day?
• What people, places, or thoughts most often scatter the attention?
• What does even a brief moment of a gathered, calm mind feel like in the body?
• When has a gathered state of mind helped me face a difficult emotion or an urge more wisely?
• How might a more gathered mind change my relationship with painful memories or anxious thoughts about the future?
• What simple, practical steps could I take today to invite more single-pointed attention into my life?
• How does a Gathered Mind feel like a ‘defence’? What does it protect me from?

Journaling prompts

• Tracking the scatter: For one day, make a note of when the mind feels most scattered. What were the triggers? What did it feel like? What helped you return to a more gathered state?
• The joy of calm: Reflect on a time, however brief, when the mind felt naturally calm and at ease. Describe the inner and outer conditions that supported it. How can you invite more of those conditions into your life?
• The keel of the raft: Describe a recent situation where you felt emotionally turbulent. How might a more Gathered Mind (the keel and ballast) have helped you navigate it with more stability?
• An experiment in single-tasking: Choose one daily activity you usually do with distraction (like drinking coffee while checking your phone). For one week, commit to doing it with your full, undivided attention. Journal about what you notice.
• From faculty to defender: Write about the ways in which your concentration feels fragile (a faculty). What specific, small actions could you take to nurture it into a more reliable embodied strength (a Defender)?
• A dialogue with the ‘washing machine’: When the mind feels like a washing machine, write down the repetitive thoughts that are spinning. Then, write a compassionate response to them, acknowledging them without getting caught up in their spin.
• The feeling of focus: Sit for five minutes with the sole intention of keeping the mind on the breath. Afterward, journal about the experience. Was it difficult? Peaceful? Frustrating? What did you learn about the mind’s habits?

Supporting material: scientific and philosophical perspectives

For those interested in the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of a Gathered Mind as a Defence, the following overview highlights some key connections.

• Neuroscience: Concentration practices strengthen the brain’s attentional networks, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, enhancing the ability to sustain focus and resist distractions. This training reduces activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), the brain region responsible for mind-wandering, rumination, and self-referential thinking, which is often overactive in addiction and anxiety. A Gathered Mind also improves emotion regulation by strengthening the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, calming the brain’s fear centre and promoting a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) response.
• Psychology: A Gathered Mind directly counters rumination – the repetitive thought loops that fuel anxiety and depression. By creating mental space, it allows you to see urges and cravings as temporary events rather than urgent commands. This aligns with the work of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on ‘flow states,’ which shows that deep, focused attention is inherently rewarding and fosters a sense of meaning and joy. Furthermore, a lack of concentration is a key feature of ADHD, a condition that frequently co-occurs with substance use disorders; training attention can therefore be a critical support for recovery.
• Philosophy: Many contemplative traditions affirm that a concentrated mind is the prerequisite for insight. Just as muddy water must be still to become clear, the mind must be gathered to perceive reality without distortion. Stoicism, for example, taught the ‘discipline of attention’ as fundamental to a virtuous life, emphasising the need to focus only on what is within our control – our thoughts and responses. This ancient wisdom echoes the Buddhist understanding that a Gathered Mind is the foundation upon which true freedom is built.

Remember to remember

A Gathered Mind is the ballast of our raft. It does not stop the waves of life from rising, but it gives us a steady place from which to navigate them. Each time we return to the breath, each time we anchor in the present moment, we are training the mind to gather itself.

Remember that this is not about forcing rigid stillness but about allowing the natural turbulence of the mind to settle. In the quiet space that emerges, joy and ease naturally arise. This calm clarity is itself a taste of freedom, a powerful reminder that peace is not somewhere else but can be found right here, in each moment of cultivated steadiness. When the mind is gathered, the other Defenders flourish: Confidence grows, Courageous Effort becomes sustainable, Healing Mindfulness becomes penetrating, and Discernment shines clearly.

The practice is not about perfect stillness but about learning to rest in motion.

Christina Feldman

Concentration is the art of returning—again and again—to what matters most.

Joseph Goldstein

Sutta references

• Ānāpānasati Sutta (MN 118) – Mindfulness of Breathing
  • Summary: This is the foundational discourse on using the breath to cultivate the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and the Seven Factors of Awakening. It provides sixteen steps that guide the practitioner from basic awareness of the breath to deep states of concentration (samādhi) and liberating insight.
• Samādhi Sutta (AN 4.41) – Concentration
  • Summary: The Buddha describes four developments of concentration: one that leads to a pleasant abiding in the here-and-now (the jhānas); one that leads to knowledge and vision; one that leads to mindfulness and alertness; and one that leads to the ending of the mental effluents (the taints). This shows that samādhi is a versatile tool for both stabilizing the mind and liberating it.
• Indriya-vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 48.10) – Analysis of the Faculties
  • Summary: This sutta defines the five spiritual faculties, explaining the Faculty of Concentration (samādhi-indriya) as the mental stability achieved by making relinquishment one’s object, culminating in the four jhānas. It frames concentration as a developing “controlling” capacity.

RAFT to Freedom © 2025 by Dr Cathryn Jacob and Vince Cullen is licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

33: Discernment as a defence

Just as a surgeon uses a sharp knife to remove a poisoned arrow, so too wisdom cuts away ignorance.

adapted Gotama (the Buddha)

‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.’

Albert Einstein

Read more: 33 – The Navigator’s Insight

The wisdom that frees

We arrive now at the fifth and culminating Defender of Freedom: ‘Discernment’, known in Pāli as paññā. This is the faculty of wisdom, insight, and clear understanding that integrates and guides all the other defenders. Confidence provided the trust, Courageous Effort the energy, Healing Mindfulness the awareness, and a Gathered Mind the stability. Discernment is the intuitive understanding that arises from this stable, mindful attention, allowing us to see things as they truly are and cut through the delusions that fuel our harmful patterns and suffering.

In the ‘RAFT to Freedom’ metaphor, Discernment is the wisdom of the Navigator. The Navigator interprets the ‘charts’ (the teachings), reads the actual conditions of the sea (direct experience), and decides the correct direction to steer the raft, ensuring the journey proceeds toward the safe shore of freedom.

This wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge; it is direct, experiential insight. It is the direct antidote to ignorance and delusion, the root causes of our harmful compulsions. Craving thrives on illusion: the illusion that urges will last forever, that acting on them will bring lasting satisfaction, or that a fixed ‘I’ must obey their commands. Discernment dismantles these illusions by clearly seeing three characteristics of being:

• Impermanence: Urges, thoughts, and feelings are recognised as transient waves. Knowing “this too will pass” weakens their power.
• Unsatisfactoriness: Lived experience reveals that harmful patterns never provide lasting peace, thereby undermining their appeal.
• Not-Self: Urges are seen as impersonal, conditioned events, not the commands of a fixed ‘self’. This loosens the grip of identification and self-blame

Discernment is the force that allows us to abandon cravings and aversions, not through brute force, but through a profound and liberating understanding of their nature and consequences – “ Mara – I see you”.

The different flavours of wisdom

Discernment is not a single event but a quality that deepens and evolves. The path shows how it progresses from received knowledge to embodied insight, and from a guiding principle to a dynamic, investigative tool.

The three sources of wisdom

Wisdom matures through a progressive sequence:

1. Learning: This is the wisdom gained through study, reading teachings, or listening to wise people. It is the essential map for our journey.
2. Reflection: This involves thinking about what has been learned, questioning its meaning, and reflecting on how it applies to our own experience. It turns the map’s information into a personal understanding.
3. Cultivation: This is embodied wisdom that arises from meditation and lived experience. It is wisdom that is known in our bones, integrated so that we live from a place of deep knowing.

The progressive development of discernment

In Gotama’s teaching, Discernment is not a single insight but a living faculty that evolves through practice. This progression can be traced across five of Gotama’s 37 ‘Liberating Practices’, his core curriculum. Each presents wisdom in a slightly different role – as a principle to be practiced, a faculty to be developed, a power to be mastered, and a quality to be applied dynamically in investigation and as an appropriate perspective.

At every stage, wisdom functions as the mind’s natural intelligence: the ability to discern what leads toward freedom and what leads away from it. The more it is cultivated, the less it depends on belief or effort; wisdom becomes self-sustaining, like a lamp that continually lights its own flame.

The following overview outlines how wisdom appears and matures across five key frameworks – from the Middleway to the Seven Supports  – showing how each phase refines and strengthens our capacity for clear seeing. Across these frameworks, wisdom develops in a clear progression:

1. Fearless investigation: As one of the Four Superpowers, Fearless Investigation represents the intellectual and intuitive curiosity that fuels the development of concentration and insight. It functions as a foundational component that sustains engagement and focus in practice.Investigation at this stage involves questioning, exploring, and examining the teachings experientially – a process that sharpens attention and nurtures understanding. It is the energy of inquiry that keeps the mind awake and directed toward truth. (Chapter 24)
2. Faculty of wisdom: Within the five faculties, the faculty of wisdom appears as a developing quality of mind that actively counters ignorance and confusion. It functions as a developing skill – a growing sensitivity to what is wholesome, skilful, and true. Because it is still maturing, this faculty must remain balanced with confidence, so that analysis does not become scepticism and faith does not slide into blind belief. At this stage, wisdom is learning to discern and verify experience through practice rather than through theory alone.
3. Power of wisdom – Discernment: When the faculty of wisdom matures, it becomes one of the Five Defenders. Here wisdom is an intrinsic, unshakeable strength that can no longer be disturbed by ignorance. It functions as a mastered strength, insight so stable and embodied that it naturally guides thought, speech, and action. At this level, Discernment no longer needs conscious protection; it has become the natural governing force of the mind, illuminating reality clearly even under pressure.
4. Focused Investigation: Within the ‘Seven Supports’ Focused Investigation as an energising factor that actively awakens insight. It functions as a responsive catalyst, applied tactically whenever dullness, lethargy, or confusion arise. By encouraging mindful exploration of experience,  Focused Investigation invigorates the mind and opens the door to understanding the nature of the ‘Five Hindrances’ and how to overcome them. At this advanced stage of development, investigation no longer seeks information; it directly reveals wisdom through continuous, curious awareness. (Chapters 37 to 50) 
5. Appropriate Perspective: In Gotama’s fourth realisation – the ‘Middleway’ – Discernment provides the foundational conceptual framework that guides the entire journey to liberation. It functions as the guiding principle of the journey, orienting all other practices toward ‘Recognising’ life’s pain, difficulties and disappointments, ‘Abandoning’ harmful cravings, compulsions and confusion, resting in the resulting ‘Freedom’ and the ‘Training’ that leads to the ‘safe shore’. At this stage, Discernment is emerging as foundational understanding: the capacity to see clearly and correctly interpret the nature of life’s challenges.

In this way, discernment is both the first step and the final fruition of the journey – the ever-deepening clarity that both illuminates and liberates the mind.

How to cultivate Discernment

Wisdom doesn’t arise by accident; it is cultivated through specific practices grounded in mindfulness and concentration.

• Pause for the wise question: In moments of choice, ask: “What leads away from harm? What serves well-being?”. This simple inquiry, central to Gotama’s advice to his son Rahula, is the heart of ethical discernment.
• Mindfully investigate experience: When a craving arises, look at it with curiosity. Where is it felt in the body? What is its quality? Watch it change. Is it constant or temporary? Is it truly satisfying ? Is there a solid ‘I’ demanding this, or is it an impersonal process?
• Challenge deluded thinking: Recognise and deconstruct the justifications that support harmful patterns. When the thought “Just one more” arises, challenge it: “Is this really true? What happened last time?”. In many modern recovery models, this is known as ‘rolling the tape’ – playing the story forward to its real consequences, not its fantasised relief.
• Observe cause and effect: Pay close attention to the link between choices and their consequences. This experiential understanding powerfully reinforces wise decisions and weakens the appeal of unskilful ones.
• Practise compassionate clarity: Remember that discernment is not harsh self-judgement but gentle, clear seeing. It is the ability to recognise error without condemnation, always pointing the way toward a wiser, kinder choice.

Self-reflections

• What are some core beliefs held about a compulsive habit that have since been seen as inaccurate or unhelpful? 
• How does contemplating impermanence – knowing that this urge will pass – affect the response to it? 
• What does ‘not-self’ mean in this lived experience? Does it feel liberating, confusing, or both?
• Can a moment of sudden clarity or an “Aha!” moment be recalled that shifted perspective or behaviour? What led to it?
• When making choices, how much are they guided by clear understanding versus habit, fear, or impulse?
• What conditions – inner or outer – best support the arising of Discernment?
• How do the other four Defenders (Confidence, Courageous Effort, Healing Mindfulness and a Gathered Mind) create the stability needed for Discernment to arise?

Journaling prompts

• Applying the three characteristics of being: Choose one specific aspect of a recurring pattern (for example, a particular craving or aversion, a thought, a sensation). Reflect and write about it through the lens of ‘Impermanence’ (Is it permanent?) ‘Pain, difficulty and disappointment’ (Is it truly satisfying?), and ‘Not Self’ (Is it ‘me’ or ‘mine’?).
• Deconstructing a justification: Identify one common thought that arises with an urge (for example, “I deserve it,” “It helps me cope”). Write it down, then challenge it with wise investigation. What are the hidden assumptions? What are the real consequences?.
• Cause and effect log: For a day, pay close attention to the link between specific actions and the resulting mental/emotional states. Note these connections. What patterns emerge?
• Defining wisdom: What does ‘wisdom’ mean to you on this journey?. Write about someone you consider wise – what qualities do they embody and how could those be cultivated?
• A moment of clarity: Describe a time you saw through an illusion about a compulsive behaviour. How did that insight feel in the body and mind? How did it shift your actions?
• The navigator’s log: Journal about a time when Discernment acted as your navigator, guiding you through a storm of craving, aversion or a difficult emotion. What ‘charts’ (teachings) or ‘weather conditions’ (direct feelings) did it use?
• Compassion and discernment: Reflect on how being kind to yourself affects your ability to see clearly. What does it feel like to see a mistake without the cloud of self-judgement?

Supporting material: scientific and philosophical perspectives

For those interested in the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of Discernment  as a Defence, the following overview highlights some key connections.

• Neuroscience: Insight experiences are linked to integrated brain activity, particularly involving the anterior cingulate cortex and temporal lobe. The capacity for cognitive reappraisal – reframing the meaning of urges and choices—relies on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to modulate emotional responses from the amygdala. Regular practice strengthens these circuits, making wisdom more accessible.
• Psychology: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a direct application of discernment, as it works by identifying and challenging the distorted thinking that fuels harmful behaviours. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) cultivates ‘defusion’ – the ability to see thoughts as just thoughts, not commands – which is a core function of wisdom. The practice of ‘rolling the tape,’ common in 12-step models, is an act of discernment, challenging the mind’s fantasy of a positive outcome by recalling the predictable, negative consequences of past actions.
• Philosophy: Discernment is central to the search for truth and ethics. Stoicism emphasised distinguishing between what is within our control (our judgements and intentions) and what is not – a clear parallel to Buddhist wisdom. In Buddhist philosophy, paññā is the crown of the path, the direct insight into Gotama’s life changing realisations and the three characteristics of being that transforms all other faculties into factors of liberation.

Remember to remember

Discernment (paññā), cultivated into the strength of wisdom, is the fifth and culminating Defender. It is the clear seeing that cuts through the illusions sustaining craving and aversion, liberating us not by force but by understanding. This liberating insight illuminates why letting go leads to freedom, arising from a foundation of Confidence, energised by Courageous Effort, observed by Healing Mindfulness, and stabilised by a Gathered Mind. As the Navigator, Discernment uses the wisdom gained from the journey to guide our raft accurately and safely to the far shore.

Remember that wisdom is not just found in grand, transformative insights, but is present in small, daily acts of clarity. Each time you pause to ask, “What leads away from harm?” and follow that wise answer, you are cultivating Discernment. In the surgeon’s simile, Healing Mindfulness is the probe that finds the splinter, Discernment is the sharp knife that removes it, Courageous Effort is the steady hand, a Gathered Mind stabilises the body, and Confidence the trust that healing is possible. It is this clear-seeing wisdom that finally sets us free.

Wisdom begins in wonder.

Socrates

Discernment is not about knowing everything, but about knowing what matters most.

Howard Thurman

Sutta references

• Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta (MN 9) – Right View
  • Summary: Defines Right View (the beginning of discernment) as the understanding of wholesome and unwholesome roots, The Four Realities, and other core doctrines, showing the content of liberating wisdom.
• Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta (SN 22.59) – The Characteristic of Not-Self
  • Summary: The Buddha analyses the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, fabrication, consciousness), demonstrating that because they are impermanent and unsatisfactory, they cannot be regarded as ‘self’. Understanding this leads directly to dispassion and liberation.
• Ambalaṭṭhika Rāhulovāda Sutta (MN 61) – Advice to Rahula
  • Summary: Gotama instructs his son, Rāhula, to use reflection as a mirror for his actions. Before, during, and after any act of body, speech, or mind, he is to reflect: “Does this lead to harm for myself or others?”. This is a direct and practical guide to cultivating ethical discernment in daily life.

RAFT to Freedom  © 2025 by Dr Cathryn Jacob and Vince Cullen  is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

34 – Freedom

Within us there is a silence as vast as the universe. We long for it, and once we touch it, we will never again be content to be half-alive.

Veronica A. Shoffstall

Freedom is not something you acquire. It is the absence of the compulsion to grasp or resist; it is the opening of a space where life can unfold.

Stephen Batchelor

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“Joy arises when we celebrate the happiness of another, for in that moment our hearts grow wider than the small self.” 

~ Jack Kornfield

“When we learn to delight in what is good in ourselves, we are no longer driven by lack. Joy becomes the expression of enoughness.”

~ Christina Feldman

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