isbell@marvin.DEC (Chris Isbell) (05/22/84)
The following quote is by a senior Thai Abbot called Ven. Ajahn Chah. Chris Isbell. (...decvax!decwrl!rhea!marvin!isbell) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About this mind... in truth it isn't really anything. It's just a phenomenon. Within itself it's already peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days is because it follows moods. The real mind doesn't have anything to it, it is simply (an aspect of) Nature. It becomes peaceful or agitated because moods deceive it. The untrained mind is stupid. Sense impressions come and trick it into happiness, suffering, gladness, and sorrow, but the mind's true nature is none of those things. That gladness or sadness is not the mind, but only a mood coming to deceive us. The untrained mind gets lost and follows these things, it forgets itself, then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or whatever. But really this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful... really peaceful! Just like a leaf which is still as long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up the leaf flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind - the 'fluttering' is due to those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn't follow them it doesn't 'flutter'. If we know fully the true nature of sense impressions we are unconcerned. Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind. So we must train the mind to know those sense impressions, and not to get lost in them. To make it peaceful. Just this is the aim of all this difficult practice we put ourselves through. ------------------------------------------------------------------------