The
mind is very hard to perceive, extremely subtle, flits wherever it wishes.
Let the wise person guard it; a guarded mind is conducive to happiness. Understand this nature of mind is helpful to develop wisdom by
overcoming cankers. Then, what is the method of developing wisdom and overcome
cankers in the mind? In fact, it is not that much simple as we think. It
has a rational process and we have to be aware of our own behaviors and actions
to cultivate mindfulness.
For a
long long time beings have been making happy their five sense doors by
contacting external objects such as forms, sounds, smells, taste etc… normally,
where mind goes we let it to go as it wish, we try to fulfill what mind asks
for. In other words we have autopilot mind because we have let mind to go as it
wish. Since this nature of the mind it is very hard to perceive. Therefore one has to make effort to guard it. The way of controlling
autopilot mind is; practicing mindfulness.
1. Understand that the mind is full of shortcomings but inflated with confidence.
The ordinary mind is full of
defilements which defile the mind. First of all one has to accept that one’s
mind is consisted with defilements. There is no anything to hide since nothing
is certain. One has to see what is in the
mind as it is and if that thought is evil, it is to be eliminated. When the
mind is consisted with good thoughts, it is to be cultivated. Sanditthika sutta of AN provides great
guidance to realize one’s weakness as weakness and right as right.
"The fact
that when a delusive quality is present within you, you discern that a delusive
quality is present within you; and when a delusive quality is not present
within you, you discern that a delusive quality is not present within you: that
is one way in which the Dhamma is visible in the here-&-now, timeless,
inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves"
As a matter of fact, this understanding is a necessary
factor of a mind which is to be developed since one has to realize the real
nature of the mind before putting it into practice.
2. Transfer the mind’s control from autopilot to manual control.
Once, a charioteer sat on his chariot and held the
bridle and ordered to the horse to draw the chariot. On the way the charioteer
slept and loses the bridle. Then horse drew the chariot as it wish and
charioteer could not go to the place where he expected since he was not aware
of where the chariot goes. Another time a certain merchants’ crew was passing a
desert and on the way the leading head charioteer slept and the bull of the
cart turned back and went back to the middle of the desert and merchants lost
the way and suffer a lot for unconsciousness of the leading merchant.
Above two stories mention the way of running of
uncontrolled bulls and horses. As long as horse or the bull that draws the
chariot is not controlled, and charioteer is not aware of where the chariot
goes, horse or the bull goes to where it wishes. And this way of going is called
autopilot manner. In the same manner our mind takes its own autopilot way and
goes here and there mindlessly until we control it.
Buddhist teaching provides many ways and means to restrain the unrestrained mind.
3. One has to put the appropriate item on the mind’s agenda
One has to put the right item to
the mind agenda and remove the wrong agenda from the mind. To put the appropriate item
on the mind’s agenda on the one’s mind he must be aware of the nature of
his own mind.
According to Mahācattarisaka sutta of MN, mindfulness has been analysed thus
into five parts and these statements also very helpful to apply proper mind
agenda on the mind.
"One should be mindful to
abandon wrong view, to enter and remain in right view: This is person's right
mindfulness...
"One should be mindful to
abandon wrong resolve, to enter and remain in right resolve: This is person's right mindfulness...
"One should be mindful to
abandon wrong speech, to enter and remain in right speech: This is person's right
mindfulness...
"One should be mindful to
abandon wrong action, to enter and remain in right action: This is person's right mindfulness...
"One should be mindful to
abandon wrong livelihood, to enter and remain in right livelihood: This is person's right
mindfulness..."
It is clear that
Buddhism introduces mindfulness as a technique which abandons evil or removes
inappropriate agenda and cultivates wholesome or puts appropriate agenda on the
mind. This is the way of developing wisdom to see phenomena as they are. Always
mindfulness teaching by the Buddha refers as right mindfulness. In other words,
Buddhist way of practice mindfulness leads to put the right item to the mind agenda and remove the wrong agenda from
the mind and transfer
the mind’s control from autopilot to manual control.
Indeed mind is just like an untamed wild
elephant that has wild ways, wild thoughts, displeasures, worries, and would
not get used to the end of the village and the ways of humans. Our mind is always full of greed, aversion,
delusion, and other defilements which defile our mind and
it is always searching for pleasure to feel, cling, and crave. In fact it is
suffering from thirsty of greed, stress, and unsatisfaction. In a way mind is
just like a monkey that jumps from branch to branch. In a way it is just like a
jumping fish put out of the water. Therefore it is beneficial to tame this
untamed, wild mind to achieve absolute happiness. The process of training the
mind is practicing mindfulness. Developing mindfulness has a systematic order.
First, come out of the forest of sensual desire – (Realize, and be mindful about the meaninglessness and unsatisfactoriness of sensual pleasure)
This is the first step of the person who
turns his mind to right mindfulness. He reflects that the mind is full of
defilements, going forth is like open space.
Further,
the Buddha mentioned in the discourse of the serpent (Alagaddūpama
sutta, MN) sensuality is comparable to a skeleton, a tendon of flesh, a burning
grass torch, a pit full of burning charcoal, a dream, something borrowed, like
a tree full of fruits, a slaughter house, the blade of a weapon, the head of a
serpent. And further he says sensuality brings much unpleasantness, much
trouble and many dangers[3].
Thus as long as one sees this danger of
sensual pleasure is considered as a person who does not have the reflective knowledge of reality (yonisomanasikara). In other words he is full
of greed, aversion, and delusion but dhamma. This
person is similar to an untamed wild elephant that is in the forest.
4. Look inside one’s own mind, not just “outside”
Mostly people worry and think
about the outside world. But the Buddha instructed in Sacittaka sutta of AN to Look inside one’s own mind, not just “outside”. In fact, reflecting on one’s own mind
leads to see one’s own weaknesses.
“How is a monk
skilled in reading his own mind? Imagine a young woman — or man — fond of
adornment, examining the image of her own face in a bright, clean mirror or
bowl of clear water: If she saw any dirt or blemish there, she would try to
remove it. If she saw no dirt or blemish there, she would be pleased, her
resolves fulfilled: 'How fortunate I am! How clean I am!' In the same way, a
monk's self-examination is very productive in terms of skilful qualities: 'Do I
usually remain covetous or not? With thoughts of ill will or not? Overcome by
sloth & drowsiness or not? Restless or not? Uncertain or gone beyond
uncertainty? Angry or not? With soiled thoughts or unsoiled thoughts? With my
body aroused or unaroused? Lazy or with persistence aroused? Unconcentrated or
concentrated?'
This statement directs the
person’s knowledge to cognize skillful qualities and unskillful qualities in
one’s own mind through self-examination. This self-examination contributes to
understand and apply the most appropriate agenda to the mind by removing
inappropriate agenda from the mind just as we uninstall unnecessary software
from the computer and install useful software we need.
On the other hand, the person
who does the most dangerous harm to one self is done by his own because
clinging to aggregates brings us all the pains no one outside. Clinging to
aggregates is a shortcoming of a person and on account of this clinging one has
to experience endless consequences for clinging aggregates. As long as we assume
these aggregates to be self or
belonging to self, suffering follows us. So, the
way to be concerned about five aggregates has been given in khemaka sutta of SN
as follows;
“Concerning these
five clinging-aggregates described by the Blessed One – form as a clinging-aggregate, feeling as a clinging-aggregate,
perception as a clinging-aggregate, fabrications as a clinging-aggregate,
consciousness as a clinging-aggregate; With regard to these five clinging-aggregates, there is nothing I
assume to be self or belonging to self."
In fact, the attitude about
clinging aggregates misleads the person to an illusion which ends with a huge
endless suffering and this is the biggest mistake we have been doing for a long
time in this cycle of birth. Look into this mistake and one has to detach from
this clinging aggregates.
Conclusion
One can be mindful in any
action at any time. If the point of mindfulness is right it is good to develop
it and if the point of mindfulness is bad it is good to abandon it. Mindfulness
is classified into two; Sammā sati (right mindfulness) and Micchā sati (Wrong
Mindfulness) that to be discussed in the field on practicing mindfulness. Only
right mindfulness is prescribed in Buddhist teaching since it is based on
wholesome. Right mindfulness brings advantages to oneself and to the others
while wrong mindfulness gaining wrong concentration, suffering, and
disadvantages which are harmful to one and to others.
Phandanaŋ
capalaŋ cittaŋ - durakkhaŋ dunnivārayaŋ
Ujuŋ karoti medhāvī - usukāro'va tejanaŋ.
Ujuŋ karoti medhāvī - usukāro'va tejanaŋ.
The flickering, fickle
mind, difficult to
guard, difficult to control - the wise person straightens it as a fletcher
straightens an arrow.
Thus, practicing mindfulness brings happiness
wellbeing to the person.
Bibliography
• Diga Nikaya, Vol.ii. Colombo,
Sri Lanka: BJTS. 2500.
• Diga Nikaya, Vol.iii. Colombo,
Sri Lanka: BJTS. 2500.
• Majima nikaya. Vol. ii, Colombo, Sri Lanka:
BJTS. 2500.
• Majima nikaya. Vol. iii, Colombo, Sri Lanka:
BJTS. 2500.
•
Sacitta sutta, AN
10.51, translation. Bhikkhu Thannissaro (1997)
• Sanditthika sutta, AN 6.47, Thannissaro bhikkhu, (2004)
• Samatha sutta, AN 10.54, Thannissaro bhikkhu, (2011)
• Khemaka sutta,SN.22.89, Thannissaro bhikkhu (2001)
• Vibhangappakarana. Colombo, Sri
Lanka: BJTS. 2500.
• Narada. Ven. The Dhammapada. Colombo: BCC.
1993
By
Ven. Sumiththa T.
Sri Lankan Buddhist Cultural Centre - Hong Kong
3F, 27 Sheung Heung Road, To Kwa Wan,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
3F, 27 Sheung Heung Road, To Kwa Wan,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
sumi.sumiththa@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment