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Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammâ Sambuddhassa!
The Stream
By Rasika Wijayaratne
There is a stream of thoughts
that flows through our minds. There are at times positive thoughts, negative thoughts
and also neither positive nor negative thoughts that flow from this stream. It flows
on its own accord and at all times, and perhaps even when we are asleep.
As the various thoughts flow through they give rise to various
feelings. Negative thoughts give rise to negative feelings, positive thoughts to
positive feelings and neither positive nor negative thoughts to feelings of the
same. As a thought which gives rise to anger flows through it causes an angry feeling
to arise, and when the thought is NOT CLUNG TO and as it passes away so does the
angry feeling subside. It is the same with all other kinds of thoughts, lustful
thoughts can arise giving rise to lustful feelings, which again subside as the lustful
thought passes away on their own accord without being clung to.
However when an angry thought arises if we actively ENGAGE
in it, CLING to it and get INVOLVED in it and actively THINK more and more angry
thoughts in relation to it, angry feelings also grow and grow. This is thinking
which gives rise to more and more anger is considered unskilful (or unwise) mental
action.1 It is the same with all other kinds of negativities such as
thoughts which give rise to lust; it only becomes unskilful when we decide2
to become an active player and then proceed to create more and more of those kinds
of negative thoughts in our minds.
When we develop the awareness of breath meditation3
we can begin to become aware of this mind stream. We begin to realize how the mind
has an EVER CHANGING nature much like a 'real' stream. If we went to the woods and
watched a 'real' stream flow we would see that it constantly flows and changes and
brings with it all kinds of things; flowers, fruits, junk, debris, wood from upstream
and sometimes even the carcass of some dead animal. As these things flow by we don't
try to GRAB them, we just watch them flow by. We don't say those things are OURS
or they are MINE or are of ME, nor do we say I AM the stream or the stream is ME.
In the same way the stream of thoughts that flows through our
minds is not ours; there is nothing there to identify with, it is changeable, impermanent,
giving rise to stress, suffering, unsatisfactoriness and not part of or belonging
to us.4 The thoughts themselves flow on their own accord much like the
'real' stream, and in the same way as we don't identify with the objects (junk,
debris, flowers, etc) that flow through in the 'real' stream, we should not identify
with the thoughts objects (thoughts giving rise to anger, lust, happiness, sadness)
that flow through in our mental stream as "I", "MINE" or "ME".5 We certainly
should not grab onto and collect the junk that flows by, not even for a little moment
if it can be helped.
The wise thing to do is to become an OBSERVER or SPECTATOR
rather than a PLAYER in relation to this stream of thoughts. As thoughts constantly
flow by watch how they also give rise to various feelings, and how these feelings
also fade away with the passing of the thought but increase when we engage in and
grow more of that thought. This will make us realize how changeable our mind and
also everything is, which gives rise to suffering when clung to and also how none
of these things are really ours. 4 So just watch the stream flow by;
don't get washed away by it!
May you attain Nibbana!
Notes
1. Where thinking is the action
in this case. The other two classes of action are verbal and physical actions.
2. In a fraction of a second
most of the time without even realizing it.
3. In Pali the
ana-pana-sati bhavana
4. In Pali
anicca (impermanent), dukkha (causing
suffering because it is anicca) and anatta (without a self because of
anicca and anatta).
5. We can then begin to realize
that its all just one big illusion and that the mind is constantly playing tricks
on us, how we constantly get fooled by these tricks and believe whatever the mind
says. Then it becomes clear that our own minds and its thoughts cannot really be
trusted.
Related Youth Articles
1.
Buddhist Positive Thinking
by Rasika Wijayaratne [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=posthink
]
2.
Mental Purity by Rasika
Wijayaratne (on subduing anger, etc) [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=vitakkasantana ]
3.
Equanimity by Rasika Wijayaratne
[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=equanimity
]
4.
Metta Meditation by Rasika Wijayaratne (basic
instructions on the meditation on loving-kindness)
[
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=mettamed ]
5.
Delusion by Rasika Wijayaratne
[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=moha
]
6.
Four Noble Truths by Rasika Wijayaratne (a summary
of) [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=fourtruths ]
7.
Noble Eightfold Path by Rasika Wijayaratne (on ending
suffering) [
http://vihara.org.au/go?to=noblepath ]
Related Suttas
1. SN 45.8, Magga-vibhanga Sutta,
An Analysis of the Path, Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html ]
2. SN 56.11, Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta,
Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion, Translated
from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html ]
Other Resources
1.
The Four Noble Truths - A
Study Guide by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu [
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/truths.html ]
2.
The Noble Eightfold Path
- The Way to the End of Suffering
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html ]
3.
Nibbana by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
[
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/nibbana.html ]
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