Search results for: "The Mind"

  1. Page 26
  2. The Mind's Immune System
    The Mind's Immune System August, 2002 We’re here to look after the health of our minds because the mind has a tendency to fall prey to diseases. There’s a passage in the Udana where the Buddha right after his Awakening surveys the world, and he sees everybody on fire with the fevers of passion, aversion, and delusion. So when we talk … 
  3. Scramble the Image
     … Well, try that with every image that comes up in the mind, once you’re well established and there’s a sense of well-being inside, so that you can step back from the movements of the mind and just watch them as processes. Instead of thinking about how you’re going to gain some pleasure out of this thought or that perception, simply … 
  4. Lean into the Present
     … The ease helps, but we’re here for the sake of seeing how the mind creates suffering out of things it doesn’t have to suffer over. There can be pain in the body, but the mind doesn’t have to suffer from the pain. There can be crazy thoughts going through the mind, but the mind doesn’t have to suffer from them … 
  5. Complexities of the Mind
     … In this way, the different complexities of the mind get teased out. And as the mind gathers more and more, all the issues get brought into one little spot where you really can comprehend them. As I noticed when Ajaan Fuang was teaching, students would come from a variety of angles. He’d finally get them, though, to that state where the mind is … 
  6. Insight from Jhana
    Insight from Jhana September 17, 2012 We meditate so that we can put an end to the sufferings in our lives, and particularly to the unnecessary sufferings that the mind imposes on itself. And, as it turns out, those are the sufferings that weigh down the mind. Without those sufferings, there’s no problem. So how does the meditation do this? We make the … 
  7. Good & Independent
     … He says it’s not because of things outside, it’s because of things inside the mind: craving, ignorance. What he says makes sense. So we try to work on these things. This means that from conviction we go to persistence, energy. We do our best to try to figure out what in the mind is unskillful and what in the mind is skillful … 
  8. Part II : Common Problems
     … This is one of the reasons why we get the mind into concentration, so that we can put it in a position where we can watch the pain and not feel threatened by it. As you watch it, you learn about it. You come to comprehend it. So, focus on the breath. Get it really comfortable. Give the mind the energy it needs in … 
  9. Right Now
     … With enough effort, with enough mindfulness and alertness, we can make changes in the mind. We can open up new channels, direct the mind in ways that are actually helpful for it rather than harmful. This is what the principle of karma teaches us. A lot of people say they have problems with karma, but that’s because they think of the larger cosmological … 
  10. The Mind’s Eating Disorders
     … What’s the form, what are the feelings, what are the perceptions, what are the fabrications, what’s the consciousness that surround the addiction? One of the reasons we get the mind into concentration is because it’s a good way to feed. It’s a harmless way to feed the mind and at the same time, because the mind is centered right here … 
  11. Tranquility & Insight
     … However, thinking a lot gets the mind tired, which is why the Buddha said the best thing to do was to get the mind into concentration. That’s when you gather the cows in. After all, if the mind is tired from thinking, sometimes it’ll start thinking unskillful thoughts, and it’ll be difficult to keep them under control. So you let the … 
  12. The Dhamma Protects
     … Okay, which part of the mind was blanking out which other parts of the mind? Which part of the mind wants to run with the things, which other part of the mind does not want to run with the things? There’s a battle that goes on in the mind, and you want to learn the tricks of the unskillful side so that you … 
  13. Calm in the Storm
     … We come to a place like this to see what we can find out about how the little things in the mind function, and how they can be dealt with properly before they turn into big problems. So it may seem strange that we’re focusing on the breath as we meditate, instead of focusing directly on the mind. That’s because it’s … 
  14. Basics
     … That’s getting the mind in position. Now the problem with both the mind and the body in position is how to keep them there. It’s not that difficult to get them into position, but to keep them there: That takes effort. And particularly the mind, because the mind is so used to running around. The body can sit here perfectly still, yet … 
  15. The Buddha’s Encouragement
     … You’re here to see what is actually going on in the mind that’s creating suffering, and you’re going to have to learn how to step back from the processes in the mind in order to do that. That requires a good place to stand: this quiet spot in the mind. So, this spot where nothing seems to be happening is really … 
  16. Practice in Dying Well
     … You also have to keep one eye on the mind, to make sure it doesn’t wander off and to make sure it feels at ease with the breath. The Buddha taught about how the suffering that weighs the mind down is the unnecessary suffering we add to things. How are you going to know that? By watching the mind and seeing what you … 
  17. Heightened Skillfulness
     … Those are the three qualities you need in order to establish mindfulness and to get the mind to settle down. And then finally meditation: You meditate not simply to give the mind a good place to stay, but you’re developing both tranquility and insight as you get the mind into concentration. You try to understand what you’re doing, in terms of bodily … 
  18. Effort against the Hindrances
     … Something may be coming up in the mind, some important insight, but part of the mind is afraid of it, so it pretends to be sleepy. So you’ve got to test it, because otherwise you’ll miss out on things— after all, nobody even gained awakening while they were asleep. You’ve slept before, there’s nothing really new about sleeping. So when … 
  19. Don’t Worry, Be Focused
     … You just watch arising and passing away and just let it arise and pass away, and that’s it, but as long as there are any bits and pieces of misunderstanding hanging around in the mind, the mind is going to have its surreptitious ways of sneaking out again. So you have to look and see where the mind still has some mistaken ideas … 
  20. The Mind Isn’t Hot
     … The theme he settled on was, “The body may be wet, but the mind isn’t wet. The body may be wet, but the mind isn’t wet.” He repeated that to himself and, after a while, he became convinced that it was true. The mind is what? It’s awareness. It’s just aware. That’s what the mind is. It’s not … 
  21. Settling In
     … It requires a lot of alertness because it’s so easy for the mind to shift off into other things, especially when you’re at ease. It may seem paradoxical. We don’t settle down in the present moment because it’s uncomfortable, but then when we do settle down, the mind starts drifting. So you have to be very conscious of “whole body … 
  22. Load next page...