MIND AND MINDFULNESS -

MIND AND MINDFULNESS

What is Mind and Mindfulness in Buddhism?

Throughout the Mind and Mindfulness article we are trying to introduce some of the “Pali” [Maghadhi] language words. Those words you will find in front of the similar English word, typing within parenthesis, to aware and understand lessons in future more comfortably.
Example: – Attachment = [Loba],

One important thing.
Throughout this learning process always try to feel the activity rather than grabbing the word meaning.
Example:
01. “Love”.- Everybody knows well, meaning and the feeling.
02. “Hardness”. – though the word gives sort of a exact picture in reality that feeling spread through uncomfort to comfort zone of softness. In this example you need to feel the two extremes to identify the middle feeling. We have no words to explain the middle feeling. It is like not so harden neither soften. But Meditative wisdom can recognize each position feeling exactly. To achieve that need to improve your mindfulness.

Always give your mind the space to open. Expand enough, aiming one target. Once we start practicing this continuously then it will start step by step blooming your wisdom . If you wanted to find something you need to search. Then only you can find them.

First we need to understand the Mind and the Mindfulness =[Sathi] separately. We are trying to dig into deep in the highest teaching of Lord Buddha Called “Abhidhamma”

Neither Pessimistic nor Optimistic, but Realistic

First of all, Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life and of the world. It looks at things objectively =(yathābhūtam). Also, it does not falsely lull you into living in a fool’s paradise, nor does it frighten and agonize you with all kinds of imaginary fears and sins.

It tells you exactly and objectively what you are and what the world around you is. It shows you the way to perfect freedom, peace, tranquility and happiness.

Example:- One physician may gravely exaggerate an illness and give up hope altogether. Another may ignorantly declare that there is no illness and that no treatment is necessary, thus deceiving the patient with a false consolation. You may call the first one pessimistic and the second optimistic. Both are equally dangerous.

But a third physician diagnoses the symptoms correctly, understands the cause and the nature of the illness, sees clearly that it can be cured, and courageously administers a course of treatment, thus saving his patient. The Buddha is like the last physician. He is the wise and scientific doctor for the ills of the world (Bhisakka or Bhaisajya-guru).

Mind

“Mind” is a word that we use to introduce the process of controlling body and words. If a person conduct any kind of an act or talk, first he has to think. This thinking process or activity is happening in the place Called “Mind”. MInd takes purposes from the external world using Five senses called Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body to conduct this thinking process. Afterwards, storing that purpose in the memory, mind alone conduct the thinking process. You might have experienced your body is in one place but mind gone far away.

As a result of this process it produce the three unwholesome products and three wholesome products.

Unwholesome Products

01. Attachment =[Loba],
02.Aversion =[Dosa]
03. Delusion =[Moha]

Wholesome Products

04. Non Greed =[Aloba],
05. Non Hatred =[Adosa],
06. Non delusion =[Amoha].
All your life actions can divided into this 6 categories only. There is nothing beyond this 6 categories.

Mind has no place. No barriers. The non-existence, the mind that arose due to causes, when the causes are gone, it disappears without a trace. Though the purpose disappears on the sport without any trace mind stored that purpose and keeps on working continuously on this thinking process.

Example:– Suppose while you are driving alone the road your Eye catches a beautiful, well attractive lady’ or a picture. Just a blink of a moment mind catches that picture. Now, you have already passed that lady or that picture and gone far away completing your journey. Yet your mind keeps on reminding you that picture and your lust arousing without knowing you. But you cannot find the exact place this process is happening.

You may feel that whole your body keeps on changing according to that lust thoughts. That incident happened in a second and completely finished without any trace of that picture or lady but mind carries it keeps on troubling you.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the process of conducting certain exercises according to lord Buddha teachings to understand the mind, it’s elements and its process. We use two main meditation activities called

01. Tranquility of the mind =[Samatha]
02. Insight =[Vipassana]

Let us move deep into this and try to find main elements to understand Lord Buddha Teaching.

Remember always, who taught us all these things? None other than Lord Buddha. The only savior of the laymen society. He taught us how to come out of the “Samsara” and be free forever, by stopping the rebirth, while attaining Nibbana.

Two Worlds

Gradually, now we are trying to understand the
01. unknown world called Ultimate =[Paramartha]
02. using known world called Apparent =[Sammuthi].

Lord Buddha come to know through his wisdom Called “Sarwagnatha Gnana”, Living being suffer in never ceasing cycle of existence, as the reality is not seen due to the delusion created by ignorance and craving. Below diagram explains different stages of division which will only be able to discover through insight meditation.

Mind and Mindfulness Further…….

There are two realities
01. Apparent – Apparent reality is ordinary conventional truth [Sammuti-Sathya] Example: Mother , Father, Sone, House, Table etc.
02. Ultimate. – Ultimate reality is abstract truth [Paramattha-Sathya] example 52 Mental factors.

The word paramattha is of great significance in Higher Doctrine. It is a compound formed of parama and attha. Parama is explained as immutable [aviparata], abstract [nibbannita] attha means thing. Paramattha, therefore, means immutable or abstract thing. Abstract reality may be suggested as the closest equivalent. Although the term immutable is used here it should not be. understood that all paramatthas are eternal or permanent.

There are four such Paramatthas or abstract realities. These four embrace everything that is mundane or supra- mundane.

The so-called being is mundane. Nibbana is supra- mundane. The former is composed of Nama and Rupa. According to Higher Doctrine [Abhidhamma] “Rupa” connotes both fundamental units of matter and material changes as well. As such Abhidhamma enumerates

Mind and mental Factors [Nama Rupa]

01. Species of Form or Matter =[Rupa] – 28
02. Both Mind or consciousness and mental factors =[Nama]

Mental Factors [Cetasikas] which are 52 in number.
01. Feeling =[Vedanà].
02. Perception=[Sagnà ].
03. Mental factors =[Sankhara].The remaining 50
04. Consciousness =[Vinnana] .

According to the above analysis the so-called being is composed of five Groups or Aggregates [Panchaskkhandha]—
01. Form =[Rupa]
02. Feeling =[Vedanà],
03. Perception =[Sagnà],
04. Mental Factors =[Sankhàra] and
05. Consciousness =[Vinnàna].

The first aggregate is material [rūpa], while the remaining ones are mental phenomena [nāma] which are divided into four distinct categories.

Feeling[vedana] is a very significant phenomenon, so it must be divided and separated as a distinct category.

Perception [saññā] is categorized in the next position because it can give support to feeling. Due to perception as the cause, feeling arises. Due to feeling as the cause, the mind recognizes and perceives.

Again, due to that perception as the cause, one does good and bad actions; and they are mental formations (saṇkhārakkhandha). All these feelings, perception and mental formations depend on consciousness (viññāṇakkhandha). So the Buddha analyzed the mind (nāma) into these four categories, with material (rūpa) as another category. These five aggregates are classified in such way that we can know these natural truths clearly.

Let us simply try to understand these two worlds

Hope you remember I discussed about two-fold world in Loving Kindness Page.. It is really like the flip side of the coin. Coin has two sides. Likewise consider any word Good and Bad, Heaven and Hell, Black and White, etc. Do you feel any similarity on those. Each pair has one good thing and bad thing that as we consider. Similarly, mind has good and bad thoughts. Lord Buddha shows us two worlds.

01. Apparent World – One we find surround us. That is external from our body. Examples:- Mother , Father, Son, Daughter, Neighbour, Relative, House, Tree, Car, Bus, Train, Land, etc.

02.Ultimate World – The other phenomena are not visible to natural eye but visible to third eye means need to understand and identify through meditation. When you understand these phenomena you will find that there is no outside world and this outside world is creating by us using five Aggregates due to our previous karma.

Ha ha now you get bit confused. Right? You are saying there is no outside world. That world is created by ourselves using our inner world 5 Aggregates. What………….?
Stay tune!!! Read carefully !!! I am going to clear your all the doubts and show you how the inner world creating this outside world.

People can do only three things.

01. Seeing – Using Eyes
02. Hearing – Using Eyers
03. Feeling – Smell, Taste, Touch

Think wisely, Though we have 5 senses we are conducting only three activities whole 365 days each mili-second. You are recognising all the outside world using these 5 senses and three sensorial actions.

Senses(Organs)	Sensitive Materials (Pasaada Ruupaani)	Objective Materials (Gocara Ruupaani)	Senses Consciousness
Eye [Chakku]	Eye Sensory Receptor (Cakkhu Pasaada)	Color	Visual (or eye) consciousness
Ear [ Sotha]	Ear sensory receptor (Sota Pasaada)	Sound	Auditory (or ear) consciousness
Nose [Ghana]	Nose Sensory Receptor (Ghaana Pasaada)	Smell (Audor)	Olfactory (or nose) Consciousness
Tongue [Jivha]	Tongue Sensory Receptor(Jivhaa Pasaada)	Taste	Gustatory (or tongue) consciousness
Body [ Kaaya]	Body Sensory Receptor (Kaaya Pasaada)	Touch	Tactile (or body) consciousness
Mind [ Mana]	Mind Sensory Receptor(Vatthu Pasaada)	Thoughts	Mental (or mind) consciousness

Simply try to understand the Five Senses + Mind

01. We have eyes that have the ability to grip or catch or identify the Colours. Eye cannot identify fragrant or sound or taste.
02. Ear only able to identify sounds. Cannot do or identify any other fragrant or taste or color etc.
03. Similarly, Nose only be able to identify good or bad smells
04. Tongue only identify the taste
05. Body only identify or feel the touch or feel hardness or softness
06. MInd is the man and Buddha called it magician who creates the world by mixing above Five together and adding the previous experience
Also, one important thing is these particular five senses once they contact the relevant objects they are generating the consciousness only specific to that particular sense and bring that message to the mind and completely disappear. Lord buddha saying that due to previous Karma [actions] result non existence arises and disappears without any trace. This is happening each and every mili-second of the life. But because of the high speed we cannot recognise and we feel it prevails continuously

For the time being we just keep the Mind aside and let us try to understand the five senses further. Refer below pictures. Click on each picture enlarge them and study carefully. Square highlighted are has very special objects that cannot identify natural eye. Lord Buddha identify them 2600 years before though his meditative wisdom.

Mind and Mindfulness Further………

Importance of Sensitive Material – [Prasada Rupa] in Mind and Mindfulness]

You might have met blind, dumb or deaf people from the birth. That causes mostly due to Karma. They do not have these Sensitive Material from the birth. That is why even today science cannot find the remedy for these illnesses. Those were the results of the Previous births karma. Only lord Buddha can say the exact reason for those illnesses. Those 6 Sensitive Materials cannot seen in natural eye. Those Sensitive Materials can see only from the wisdom eye. Now, the Science have revealed 5 senses sensitive materials using latest scientific cameras. But, yet they have not able to identify the Heart Sensitive Material called “Hadaya Wasthu Rupa”.

May Triple Gem Bless You All!

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