What if we observe our mind?

What happens when we truly (dispassionately) observe our mind? | Buddhist Wisdom

Hiking far from the maddening crowd

Mindful Breathing, Four Elements

Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes one needs to get away, faraway, far from the maddening crowd, Dharma Bums in search of enlightenment. On return to the U.S., it's straight to Dharma Bum Temple in Southern California.

Imagine wandering in ancient India (Buddhist Emperor Ashoka's Great Bharat) in search of peace and a permanent end to ALL further suffering (disappointment, lack of fulfillment, ill, woe, misery).

Wandering like one lost, suddenly one is not lost. One is a wandering ascetic, a shramana (shaman), on a spiritual quest for stillness and wisdom (samadhi and panna). Going about from village to village in search of alms, like a deer that lists where it may, one stumbles on Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks.

• The ultimate origin of Sanskrit sramana (Buddhist Pali samaṇa) may be the Evenki language word сама̄н (samān) "shaman," possibly via Middle Chinese or Tocharian B; however, the etymology of this word, which is also found in other Tungusic languages, is controversial (see Shamanism § Etymology).
• A wandering ascetic (Buddhist monastic) has three pursuits: training in the higher virtue, higher thought, and higher insight. One must follow these pursuits keenly, otherwise, it is said, one's presence in the Buddha's Monastic Order (Sangha) will be like that of an ass in a herd of cattle (A.i.229).
• A samana (or shramana) is a person "who labors, toils, or exerts...for some higher or religious purpose" [1][2], "seeker, or ascetic, one who performs acts of austerity" [3][4][5][6]. The term in early Vedic literature is predominantly used as an epithet for seers (rishis) with reference to śrama associated with ritual exertion.
• The term in [pre-Hindu] Vedic (and subsequently Hindu) texts does not express non-Vedic connotations found in post-Vedic Buddhist and Jain canonical texts [7].
• During its later semantic development, the term came to refer to non-Brahmanical ascetic movements parallel to but separate from the old Vedic religion [4][5][8].
• The śramaṇa tradition includes Buddhism [10], Jainism [9], and others.
• In this Noble Sangha (attained spiritual community) four kinds of monastic are to be found: stream-enterers (sotāpannas), once-returners (sakadāgāmins), non-returners (anāgāmins), and full-enlightened ones (arahants). These are not to be found among the followers of other dharmas, contrary teachings (Samana Sutta, A.ii.238).
• The Samana Sutta (A.iv.340) covers the different names by which a Tathāgata ("Wayfarer," the word the Buddha chose in referring to himself) is known.
• (Descriptions derived from the Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, Samana Sutta, by G. P. Malalasekera, Pali Text Society, London edited for Wisdom Quarterly by Dhr. Seven)

(All Trails) It's an easy hike to Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks in Ramanagara, Karnataka, India.

DIRECTIONS

The trail to Thimmappana Betta Twin rocks is only 0.6 miles long with a 91-foot elevation gain. It will take 30 to 60 minutes to arrive. The Twin Rocks near it are one of the popular tourist destinations in Kuttagallu.

Spectacular views make up the landscapes of this location, which are green with a bit of a rocky outcrop. Along with being green, this location is diverse as well and is home to various species of flora and fauna.

The trailhead rests by Bettada Kalyani at Kuttagallu and can be reached via various transportation options, such as taxi, cab, private vehicle, or foot.

TOP SIGHTS

Thimmappana Betta peak, Chakrateertha Pond. Twin Rocks. Expect some pesky mosquitos along the trail. It may even rain. It is not crowded. The best time to go is after summer and before monsoon season. Parking: Free, small lot. More

How shall we meditate when we get there?

Standing in the face of adversity

"Meditators, there are five types of warriors found existing in the world. What are these five?

"There is a warrior who, on seeing a cloud of dust [stirred up by an enemy army], falters, faints, does not steel oneself, cannot engage in battle. This is the first type of warrior found existing in the world. More

• SUTRA: How the Buddha's 'warriors' practice

Mindfulness in Zen Buddhism (Alan Watts)

Alan Watts (Audio Archives, KPFK.org); Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Chasing satori is like herding oxen.

On being "Zen," California British philosopher Alan Watts (alanwatts.org) can explain, if anyone can. And it may well be that no one can. One who knows does not speak, and one who speaks does not know. That may be true, but one can point. It is like the movie My Dinner with Andre. What was Andre on about? It's a great movie, but he can only point. There's no direct saying that can communicate. That may not make sense, but it becomes clear with practice. When asking a spiritual question, one will get a mundane answer. When asking a mundane question, one will be given a spiritual answer. It's the custom, not a rule of the universe. Let there be suchness. (What is suchness?) Nice weather we're having? (Weather, what's wrong with the weather?) It is empty, void of qualities, fickle as a thought. (Huh?) You're catching on.

• AUDIO: Alan Watts explains Zen or something like it, Buddhist Radio, Sunday, 12/17/23, 8:00 am, KPFK Archives

No, seriously, what is Zen?

Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word chan, which is China's attempt to pronounce the Pali word jhana (jhan), from the Buddhist Sanskrit dhyana (dhyan). That word means "meditation" (which originally meant meditative absorption) but Zen has come to mean what one finds through meditation, through calming and training the mind by mindfulness.

• Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness

Into the PIT: Mosh Pit Meditation (video)

Wyatt's Metal; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly

Maybe I should learn sitting first?

The Mosh Pit: Beginner's Guide (Wyatt's Metal) July 13, 2023: Wyatt's perks: @wyattsmetal. Official Wyatt's Metal Discord: discord.gg/8b7WMuBJNe.

Meditation is not easy, all that struggling to sit still, deal with ADD and ADHD and speed as medicine sold to us by our rich dealer, uh, we mean, doctor. And that's just the body. The ever drifting, shifting, wandering "monkey mind" is worse. Why is it so hard? It seems that it's the trying to sit still that's the problem.

Punk rock yoga with kick a$$ music is better than bowling in Las Vegas with hardcore types.

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Hot Yoga

Try a hot yoga class (vinyasa or ashtanga) and see if it's any easier to place attention on one thing, like the in-and-out breathing, and see if it's any easier. There won't be a surplus of energy, anxiousness, or feeling like one might explode at any moment because hot yoga is exhausting for beginners who do not yet know how to put forward a balanced practice and therefore just go all out until they're pooped.

Americans don't know real Eight-Limb Yoga.

Slow and steady is the way, mindful of all the things to remain aware of (posture, alignment, balance, breathing, strength, softness, flexibility, mobility, locks or bandhas, position of elbow-eyes, resting in mountain between poses, sthira-sukha or resting in poses or seats after efforting to reach them steady and comfortabe, direction of hands, toes, eyes or drishti, heat, relaxation, tailbone down, pelvis tilted, sweat wicked, water nearby...) AHH! It's too much!

Mosh Pit

This rules, Man! It's no place for the weak.

How about something simpler and more fun, with fewer beautiful distractions in Spandex pants? Cue loud noise, stage lights, and the bustling assistance of fellow fans present to rock out. They may not have presence of mind, being checked out on drugs and/or drink, so never mind the bullocks and Sex Pistols. It's time to get into the dangerous mosh pit for slam dancing to see how much the threat of random violence or accidental injury sharpens the mind like a dojo match.

• 

  OK, this is not fun anymore. Boundaries!

  You're scared, excited, in awe. It's time. It's do or die. Jump in. Who would purposely jump into that human blender? Get pushed in. Jerks will do that. They're just there to shove and laugh as you get hurt. Better to go in and die with boots on.

Martial Arts

Before the war (1946), karate in Naho (Wiki)

If that fails to bring on extreme presence of mind in the interest of survival, it's into the dojo, the martial arts studio that is (adjunct to a Buddhist temple for active practices).

Do (pronounced \dough\) means "way," according to Alan Watts and others. There is "The Way of Tea" (chado), taekwondo ("the way or art of" kicking and punching to defeat opponents), The Way (The Tao or Dao of Taoism) as in the Middle Way of Buddhism.

Boss reading minds with ear pods (TJDS)

How to overcome wandering "monkey mind"

Talk 3: Overcoming Thinking with British Theravada monk Ajahn Brahm

(BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) May 10, 2014. clearmind4me.com. With kind support for practitioners' meditation and personal development, the authors of this channel are offering a free video on "Five Steps on How to be Free from Worry," guided meditation, and workbook: clearmind4me.com.

Thinking is good, just about the best thing but not when meditating. Then it's just about the worst thing. When it gets really bad, it's called "monkey mind," pointless discursive thinking, like a monkey going from branch to branch to branch, grasping and chasing cravings, first here then there -- restlessness at its worst. There are Five Hindrances to progress in meditation (stillness and insight or samatha and vipassana) -- sensual desire, anger, lassitude-and-sleepiness, restlessness, and skeptical doubt. Thinking and thinking, it's fruitless.

Let the mind be. Let it think. Ignore it and, eventually, it will stop. So long as it doesn't stop and can't be ignored, it's torment. Try it. Here Ajahn Brahm talks about how glorious it is when we finally get it to stop. It's peace, it's blissful, it's rest. Think afterward. Think before. Think the whole rest of life, but "meditation" (stillness or insight) won't happen so long as we are disturbed -- pulled in by greed, feeling aversion (including its manifestation as boredom) by wanting it to stop already, or getting confused by ignorance manifesting as wrong view.

Psychedelics: Have a Good Trip (Netflix)

Netflix, May 11, 2020; Rama's Reviews; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Ananda is in the "Psychedelic Sangha."

What we call a drug and a drug trip color our perception about it. Hallucinogens bad; they make you hallucinate. Psychedelics, bad; they are "mind-making," which is what the word means from psyche ("mind, soul") + delein ("to manifest"). Entheogen, good; they bring out the divine within, from Ancient Greek word éntheos ("full of the god, inspired, possessed" like "enthusiasm") and genésthai ("to come into being"), a term of praise for poets and other artists. An entheogen is a drug that causes one to become inspired or to experience feelings of inspiration, often in a religious or "spiritual" manner.

There are a lot of celebrities in this documentary.

Throw that out the window with these Hollywood celebrities, who were just experimenting and tripping, in the spirit of the Sixties' slogan "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll." But is there a potential for insight, contemplation, realizing there is much more to life than we see in unaltered, ordinary consciousness? These mind-expanding plant substances open us to a larger spectrum of consciousness -- an animistic world of talking plants, a living planet (Gaia, Bhumi, Tierra), and active Nature (tathata).

(Rama's Screen) Rama is enthusiastic about Have a Good Trip:
Adventures in Psychedelics. He likes it, he really likes it.

Monkey Mind: non cogito ergo sum (video)

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (video); Nick Berk, Dhr. Seven, Ananda M., Wisdom Quarterly

Discursive thinking is a bad idea when trying to meditate (1843magazine.com).

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Sometimes I have a mind of my own.

The Monkey Mind is a terrible thing, a menace to serene meditation. There is no need to make it stop.

It is enough to let it be, to tolerate it cheerfully (free of annoyance), to cultivate forbearance (the highest virtue), to be comfortable in spite of its otherwise maddening nonstop activity. It is enough to let it run its course without feeding it one way or the other.

I am king of the monkeys.

What is one way, what the other? One way we feed the Monkey Mind is by trying to stop it. The other is feeding it by adding to it, commenting, reacting, arguing...

What is the BASIC meditation instruction? In a positive sense it is focusing on the breath, being with the breath, knowing the breath -- not by thinking but by direct peaceful experience. When we hold perfectly still, we can sense all other movement.

When we grow quiet in spite of the fact that the Monkey Mind is still going, we realize: That's not us. Let us not get sucked in by its nonsense. The venerable Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche explains it very well and very concisely:

How to deal with the Monkey Mind

Ask a Ninja: How to Meditate: Doubt

Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Ven. Nyanaponika, Five Hindrances and Their Conquest: Selected Texts from the Pali Canon and Commentaries; Faith

Think. There are hindrances to meditation. Overcome them and be a ninja.

Do we need more doubt or more confidence? Think. Decide. Then do. (tonycrabbe)

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"This year, rise above it"! (AB)

This is Part VI of a seven-part series (see Part V) on overcoming the Five Hindrances, culminating with what to do as an enlightened Meditation Ninja. Reaching enlightenment may take anywhere from seven days to seven years, according to the Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra. But it depends on effort, sustained-ease, and consistency. Over-effort is something to be overcome by calm; under-effort is overcome by energy: balanced-effort is the goal. There is much more to be gained by practicing a little every day rather than a lot on Sunday and none at all the rest of the week: Consistency over time is the tortoise's secret, leaving the hare far behind. Everything can wait, but the search for enlightenment cannot wait.

5. Doubt
A. Nourishing of Doubt

There are things giving rise to skeptical doubt. Frequently giving unwise attention to them is nourishing the arising of doubt that has not yet arisen and the increase and strengthening of doubt that has already arisen. — SN 46:51

B. Denourishing of Doubt

Stop thinking and DO. (motorcitymoxie.com)

There are things that are wholesome or unwholesome, blameless or blameworthy, noble or low, and (other) contrasts of dark and bright. Frequently giving wise attention to them is the denourishing of the arising of doubt that has not yet arisen and the increase and strengthening of doubt that has already arisen.

 
Of the six things conducive to the abandonment of doubt, the first three and the last two are identical with those given for restlessness and remorse. But the fourth runs as follows:
 

Firm conviction (confidence, saddha) concerning the Buddha, Dharma, and [Noble] Sangha -- that is, the Teacher, the Teaching, and the successfully Taught.
 

In addition, the following are helpful in conquering skeptical doubt:

• Mindfulness/Wise reflection (sati or "bare attention"/yoniso manasikara), of the Five Factors of Absorption (jhananga);

The sky's going out! Soon all will be dark.

"The first [Fine Material Form Sphere] jhana or 'meditative absorption' is free of five things (i.e., the Five Mental Hindrances). And five opposite things are present (i.e., the Five Factors of Absorption or jhāna-anga).
 
Whenever a meditator enters the first absorption, there have vanished: sensuous desire, ill-will, tiredness-and-boredom [sloth and torpor], restlessness-and-worry, skeptical doubt.
 
What is present instead are: initial application [of attention] (vitakka), sustained attention (vicāra), rapture (pīti), happiness (sukha), and concentration (samādhi or ekagata, unification of mind, one-pointedness).
 
In the second absorption there are present: rapture, joy, and concentration; in the third: joy and concentration; in the fourth: equanimity (upekkhā) and concentration" (Path of Purification, Vis.M. IV).

NOTE: the next four absorptions of the Immaterial or Formless Sphere (jhanas 5 through 8) still belong, properly speaking, to the fourth absorption as they possess the same two constituents. The fourth Fine-Material Sphere absorption is also the base or starting point (pādaka-jhāna) for the attaining of the higher spiritual powers (abhiññā), which should be avoided as a dangerous distraction.

• Wisdom (pañña), one of the Five Spiritual Faculties (indriya, bala);
• Investigation of reality (dhamma-vicaya), one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga).
• For more details on these three helpful factors, see The [37] Requisites of Enlightenment (Wheel 171-4, BPS).

C. Simile

Then all was dark; I didn't know what to do.

If there is a pot of water that is turbid, stirred up and muddy, and this pot is in a dark place, then a person with a normal faculty of vision cannot properly recognize and see the image of one's own face. In the same way, when one's mind is possessed by doubt, overpowered by doubt, then one cannot properly see any escape from doubt that has arisen. Then one does not see one's own welfare, nor that of another, nor that of both. And teachings memorized long ago do not come to mind, let alone those not memorized. — SN 46:55

"Monkey Mind" in Meditation

Michael Carr; CC Liu, Pat Macpherson, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly (Wiki edit)

What's monkey mind? Hold on a second, I'll look on Wisdom Quarterly (Huffington Post).

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Obsessed with sexy distractions (Uhohbro).

Monkey mind (or mind monkey) comes from the Chinese word xinyuan and the Sino-Japanese shin'en (心猿), literally, "heart-/mind-monkey").

It is a Buddhist term meaning "restless, unsettled, capricious, whimsical, fanciful, inconstant, confused, indecisive, uncontrollable." In addition to Buddhist writings -- including Chinese Chan and Japanese Zen (two Mahayana sects giving their pronunciations of the Pali term jhan'a and the Sanskrit dhyan'a), Consciousness-Only, Pure Land, and Shingon -- this "monkey mind" psychological metaphor was adopted in Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, poetry, drama, and literature.

"Mind-monkey" occurs in two reversible four-character idioms with yima or iba (意馬), literally, "thought-/will-horse," most frequently used in Chinese xinyuanyima (心猿意馬) and Japanese ibashin'en (意馬心猿).

The "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the Journey to the West personifies the mind-monkey. Note that much of the following summarizes Michael Carr ("'Mind-Monkey' Metaphors in Chinese and Japanese Dictionaries," International Journal of Lexicography 1993, 6.3:149-180). 

Linguistic and cultural background

Mind monkey piggy backs on horse idea (Tang Dynasty)

"Mind-monkey" (心猿) is an animal metaphor. Some figures of speech are cross-linguistically common, verging upon being linguistic universals.

Many languages use "monkey" or "ape" words to mean "mimic," for instance, Italian scimmiottare "to mock, to mimic" and scimmia "monkey, ape," Japanese sarumane (猿真似), literally, "monkey imitation," "copycat, superficial imitation," and the English monkey see, monkey do or to ape. Other animal metaphors have culture-specific meanings. Compare English chickenhearted as "cowardly, timid," "easily frightened" and Chinese jixin (雞心), literally, "chicken heart," "heart-shaped, cordate."

 

The four morphological elements of Chinese xinyuanyima or Japanese shin'en'iba are xin or shin (心) "heart, mind", yi or i (意) "thought," yuan or en (猿) "monkey," and ma or ba (馬) "horse."

The 心 "heart, mind" and 意 "idea, will"

Mr. Simian! - No, I just meant a pony ride on the "will horse," not us horsing around!

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The psychological components of the "mind-monkey will-horse" metaphor are Chinese xin or Sino-Japanese shin or kokoro (心) "heart, mind, feelings, affections, center" and yi or i (意) "thought, idea, opinion, sentiment, will, wish, meaning."

This Chinese character 心 was graphically simplified from an original pictogram of a heart and 意 "thought, think" is an ideogram combining 心 under yin (音) "sound, tone, voice" denoting "sound in the mind, thought, idea."

 

In Chinese Buddhism and Japanese Buddhism, xin/shin (心) "heart, mind" generally translates Sanskrit citta "mind, process of mind, state of mind, consciousness" and yi/i (意) translates Sanskrit manas "the mental organ, deliberation."

 

Some Buddhist authors have used 心 and 意 interchangeably for "mind, cognition, thought." Compare these Digital Dictionary of Buddhism glosses:

• 心 "Spirit, motive, sense. The mind as the seat of intelligence, mentality, idea. (Sanskrit citta)... Thought, intellect, feeling (Sanskrit mānasa)"
• 意 "Thought, intellect (Sanskrit manas, Tibetan yid), the mind, (Sanskrit citta, Tibetan sems)."

For example, take the Buddhist word Chinese xin-yi-shi or Japanese shin-i-shiki (心意識), literally, "mind, thought, and cognition" that compounds three near-synonyms.

 

The Abhidharma theory uses this word as a general term for "mind, mentality." But Yogacara's theory of Eight Consciousnesses distinguishes xin/shin (心) "store consciousness," yi/i (意) "manas consciousness," and shi/shiki (識) "six object-contingent consciousnesses."

 

Xinyuanyima (心猿意馬), literally, "mind-monkey idea-horse," "distracted, indecisive, restless" is comparable with some other Chinese collocations:

• xinmanyizu (心滿意足) "heart-full mind-complete," "perfectly content, fully satisfied."
• xinhuiyilan (心灰意懶) "heart-ashes mind-sluggish," "disheartened, discouraged, hopeless" (or xinhuiyileng (心灰意冷) with leng "cold, frosty."
• xinhuangyiluan (心慌意亂) "heart-flustered mind-disordered," "alarmed and hysterical, perturbed."
• xinfanyiluan (心煩意亂) "heart-vexed mind-disordered," "terribly upset, confused and worried"...

"Mind-monkey" in English

Prozac (fluoride) calcifies the pineal gland

Monkey mind and mind monkey both occur in English usage, originally as translations of xinyuan or shin'en and later as culturally-independent images. Carr concludes:

Xinyuan-yima (心猿意馬) "monkey of the heart/mind and horse of the ideas/will" has been a successful metaphor. What began 1500 years ago as a Buddhist import evolved into a standard Chinese and Japanese literary phrase.

Rosenthal (1989:361) says a proverb's success "'depends on certain imponderables," particularly rhythm and phrasing. Of the two animals in this metaphor, the "monkey" phrase was stronger than the "horse" because xinyuan "mind-monkey" was occasionally used alone (e.g., Wuzhenpian) and it had more viable variants (e.g., qingyuan 情猿 "emotion-monkey" in Ci'en zhuan).

The "mental-monkey" choice of words aptly reflects restlessness, curiosity, and mimicry associated with this animal. Dudbridge (1970:168) explains how "the random, uncontrollable movements of the monkey symbolise the waywardness of the naive human mind before it achieves a composure which only Buddhist discipline can effect" (1993:166). More

Science Studies Daydreaming Brain

"Surprise! Daydreaming Really Works the Brain"

LiveScience

Got a tough problem to solve? Try daydreaming.

Contrary to the notion that daydreaming is a sign of laziness, letting the mind wander can actually let the parts of the brain associated with problem-solving become active, a new study finds.

Kalina Christoff of the University of British Columbia in Canada and her colleagues placed study participants inside an fMRI scanner, where they performed the simple routine task of pushing a button when numbers appear on a screen. The researchers tracked subjects' attentiveness moment-to-moment through brain scans, subjective reports from subjects, and by tracking their performance on the task.

Until now, scientists had thought that the brain's "default network," which is linked to easy, routine mental activity, was the only part of the brain that remains active when the mind wanders. But in the study subjects, the brain's "executive network" — associated with high-level, complex problem-solving — also lit up. More>>

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