Close to the Ground: Reflections on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment

After all the bliss and generalized euphoria we might experience along our spiritual path, what’s left are the karmic knots of conditioning that still need unraveling. Untying them is the work of spiritual warriors—that is, all of us. The seven factors of enlightenment are a grease to loosen them, all the while keeping us upright in our efforts: mindfulness, the investigation of phenomena, energetic effort, ease, joy, concentration, and equanimity.

In Close to the Ground, longtime Buddhist t...