2) Brief Review of Last Six Weeks'
Talks - Contemplation of the Body in the Body; Contemplation of Feelings;
Contemplation of Consciousness
3) Questions/Discussion from Last Week
4) Contemplation of the Dhammas
a) Meaning
of Dhammas
i)
The Buddha's teaching; the Truth. It
must be investigated for oneself.
ii) Principles
of righteousness, goodness and virtue.
iii) When
plural, personal qualities of mind: faith, wisdom, selflessness, pride, etc.
iv) Objects
of mind, as opposed to the objects of the 5 physical senses.
v) All
phenomena in general.
vi) Since
this category includes more than mind objects, it is better referred to as
"Dhammas".
b) Structure
of Contemplation of the Dhammas
i)
Five Hindrances
ii) Five
aggregates and six internal and external sense bases
iii) Seven
factors of enlightenment
iv) Four
Noble Truths
c) The
Five Hindrances
i)
General
Comments
(1) Types of hindrances:
(a) Sense Desire - pleasant sights,
sounds, smells, tastes, bodily sensations, and mind states.
(b) Ill-Will - aversion (including fear,
judgment and boredom), hatred, and anger
(c) Sloth and Torpor - laziness,
dullness, lack of vitality, fogginess, and sleepiness.
(d) Restlessness and Remorse -
agitation, nervousness, anxiety and worry.
(e) Doubt - doubt about ourselves, our capacities, our teachers, and meditation as a
spiritual path: does it really work?
(2) A
Metaphor for the hindrances: Imagine a treasure at the bottom of a lake -
(a) Multi-color dyes - sense desire
(b) Water boiling - ill-will
(c) Algae or slime - sloth/torpor
(d) Waves - restlessness/worry
(e) Cloudy water - doubt
(3) A hindrance is also called a fetter
- that which binds us; keeps us stuck and unable to see things as they really
are.
(4) The Buddha explained: it's not the
eye that keeps us attached to forms and it's not forms that keeps us attached
to the eye; it's desire upon both the eye and forms
that keeps us attached and deluded.
(5) (white bull - black bull : yoke is
the fetter)
(6) Why does this desire arise?
(a) Based on ignorance (not being
aware of the true nature of phenomena) and unwise attention.
(b) The Four Perceptual Distortions
(i) Perceptual distortion is unwise
reflection that takes:
1. what is not inherently desirable as
being desirable (i.e., viewing anything with significance encourages clinging)
2. the impermanent for permanent
3. the unsatisfactory for satisfactory
4. the selfless as having a self
(ii) It is unwise because it is the cause
for the arising of unwise or unwholesome thoughts (based on greed, hatred or
delusion) and ideas that stem from these reflections.
(iii) Wise reflection sees things as they
really are and is the cause for wise or wholesome thoughts based on non-greed
(generosity), non-hatred (loving-kindness) and non-delusion (wisdom).
(7) The Key: See the 5 hindrances as
they present themselves to consciousness as merely mental phenomena - no
"one" that is experiencing the fetters; no "one" who is
fettered or attached.
ii) Sense Desire
(1) Why Is It A Hindrance?
(a) What's wrong with desire? Nothing
really. But they fool us by tricking us into the "If Only"
mentality: If only I could have this, look like this, find the right
relationship, etc. I would be happy.
(b) Our culture supports and promotes
this attitude - buy this, enjoy that, act like this, look like that...
(c) It's a trap. Even if we get what we
want, there is always the desire for something more, something newer, something better. It's the desiring mind, which is so
strong, that ultimately causes pain and suffering.
(d) It interferes with our power to
deeply open to the truth, to relate directly and wisely to what is actually
here.
(2) What To Do About It
(a) Look directly at this mind state and
know what it is: desire is in me (not repeating the word desire, but just
knowing that desire is present).The mere recognition of it may be enough to
dispel it. Sometimes it can be helpful to just watch the flow of thoughts as if
standing on a bridge looking at the water pass below.
(b) Make it the object of meditation.
Instead of fighting or suppressing sense desire, investigate it mindfully. Allow
its energy to teach you its laws - What is this desire? How does it feel in the
body? What parts of the body are affected - gut, breath,
eyes? What does it feel like in the heart? In the mind? When it is present, are we happy or agitated? Open or closed? Pay meticulous
attention to it.
(c) Learning how to meditate on impure
objects;
(d) Devoting oneself to the meditation
on the impure;
(e) Guarding the sense doors;
(f) Moderation in eating;
(g) Noble friendship;
(h) Suitable conversation
iii) Ill Will
(1) Why Is It A Hindrance?
(a) When it is strong in our mind, it
colors our entire experience - distorting what is actually present.It
is usually painful.
(b) With the mind full of dislike, of
wanting to be somewhere other than the present moment, how can we concentrate
and explore the present moment in the spirit of discovery?
(2) What To Do About It
(a) Look directly at this mind state and
know what it is: anger is in me (not repeating the word anger, but just
knowing that anger is present);
(b) Make it the object of meditation (as
above);
(c) Learning how to meditate on
loving-kindness;
(d) Devoting oneself to the meditation
of loving-kindness;
(e) Considering that one is the owner and
heir of one's actions (kamma);
(f) Frequent reflection on it (in the
following way):
(i) Thus one should consider:
"Being angry with another person, what can you do to him? Can you destroy
his virtue and his other good qualities? Have you not come to your present
state by your own actions, and will also go hence according to your own
actions? Anger towards another is just as if someone wishing to hit another
person takes hold of glowing coals, or a heated iron-rod, or of excrement. And,
in the same way, if the other person is angry with you, what can he do to you?
Can he destroy your virtue and your other good qualities? He too has come to
his present state by his own actions and will go hence according to his own
actions. Like an unaccepted gift or like a handful of dirt thrown against the
wind, his anger will fall back on his own head."
(g) Noble friendship;
(h) Suitable conversation.
iv) Sloth and Torpor
(1) Why Is It A Hindrance?
(a) The mind becomes unworkable and
cloudy. Clarity and wakefulness fade. It
is a big obstacle to mindfulness practice.
(2) What To Do About It
(a) Look directly at this mind state and
know what it is: drowsiness is in me (not repeating the word drowsiness,
just knowing that drowsiness is present);
(b) Make it the object of meditation (as
above);
(c) Knowing that overeating is a cause
of it;
(d) Changing the bodily posture;
(e) Thinking of the perception of light;
(f) Staying in the open air;
(g) Noble friendship;
(h) Suitable conversation.
v) Restlessness and Worry
(1) Why Is It A Hindrance?
(a) The mind spins in circles and flops
around like a fish out of water. It gets caught in the drama of mental
formations and jumps from object to object. Concentration becomes scattered and
we cannot stay in the present moment.
(2) What To Do About It
(a) Look directly at this mind state and
know what it is: restlessness is in me (not repeating the word restless,
but just knowing that restless is present);
(b) Make it the object of meditation (as
above);
(c) Knowledge of the Buddhist scriptures
(Doctrine and Discipline);
(d) Asking questions about them;
(e) Familiarity with the Vinaya (the
Code of Monastic Discipline, and for lay followers, with the principles of
moral conduct);
(f) Association with those mature in age
and experience, who possess dignity, restraint and calm;
(g) Noble friendship;
(h) Suitable conversation.
vi) Doubt
(1) Why Is It A Hindrance?
(a) When we believe it and get caught in
it, it stops our practice cold. "Does it really work?" "Am I
wasting my time?" "It's too hard." "I'm not making any
progress." We become paralyzed.
(2) What To Do About It
(a) Look directly at this mind state and
know what it is: doubt is in me (not repeating the word doubt, but just
knowing that doubt is present);
(b) Make it the object of meditation (as
above);
(c) Knowledge of the Buddhist scriptures
(Doctrine and Discipline);
(d) Asking questions about them;
(e) Familiarity with the Vinaya (the
Code of Monastic Discipline, and for lay followers, with the principles of
moral conduct);
(f) Firm conviction concerning the
Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha;
(g) Noble friendship;
(h) Suitable conversation.
d) Let
us enter the Satipatthana Sutta - taking Doubt as our object of contemplation
(the same approach is used for the other hindrances):
i)
"When
doubt is present in him, he knows, 'There is doubt in me,' "
(1) How does it manifest?
(a) Doubt re Buddha - was there?
(b) Doubt re the Dhamma - true? any added?
(c) Doubt re the Sangha - really those
who followed the path & became enlightened?
(d) Doubt about the training - effective?
(e) Doubt about one's ability - can I
become enlightened?
(2) Not aware of "I am doubting", just awareness of doubt as pure mental
phenomena.
ii) "or
when doubt is absent in him, he knows, 'There is no doubt in me.' "
(1) When mindfulness applied, one
recognizes:
(a) doubt is no longer present (by
abandonment)
(b) doubt absent for a while (by
non-occurrence)
(2) In either case, turn obstacle into
insight.
iii) "He also knows the reason why
the arising of non-arisen doubt comes to be;"
(1) By unwise reflection on questions
that reinforce doubt
(2) The key: during meditation, the
meditator sees for himself that doubt arose due to unwise reflection - sees the
causal structure
iv) "he also knows the reason why
the abandoning of arisen doubt comes to be;"
(1) By giving wise attention to
mental objects -- by being mindful of them:
(a) One notices the doubting thoughts,
(b) Observes that through the
application of mindfulness, doubt will not take hold of the mind; and
(c) Sees the impermanent and selfless
nature of such thoughts.
(2) Outside meditation, one applies
skillful attention to questions that arise in the mind.
(a) No need for blind
faith - investigate and inquire to remove doubt.
(3) The Key: during meditation, the
meditator sees for himself that doubt was abandoned through wise reflection -
he sees the causal structure.
5) Questions
6) Homework
a) Sitting Meditation - daily
(afterwards, note your experiences in your journal)
b) Read the Sutra (through
The Contemplation of Feelings) and Sutra Notes
c) Read Four Foundations of Mindfulness
by U Silananda (through Contemplation of the Dhammas)
d) Practice Exercise (below)
b) Exercise: Making the Hindrances Part of the Path
8) Next Week: The Five Aggregates and
the Six Internal and External Sense Bases
9) Closing Meditation
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