Ajahn Chah: Natural state of mind (video)

Ajahn Chah; TheSilentWatcher; Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

How can we know anything? Epistemology

When we talk about study, we can understand it like this: Our eye is a subject of study, our ear is a subject of study -- everything is a subject of study.

We can know that form [body, physicality, matter] is like this and like that. But we attach to form and don’t know the way out.

We can distinguish sounds, but then we attach to them. Forms, sounds, scents, flavors, tactile sensations, and mental impressions are ALL like a snare that entraps beings.

To investigate these things is our way of practicing Dharma (Dhamma). When some sensation (feeling) arises, we turn to our understanding to appreciate it.

If we are knowledgeable regarding theory, we will immediately turn to that and see how such and such a thing happens like this and then becomes that… and so on.

If we haven’t learned theory in this way then we have just the natural state of our mind to work with. This is our Dharma. If we have wisdom then we’ll be able to examine this natural mind of ours and use this as our subject of study. It’s exactly the same thing.

Our natural mind is theory. The Buddha said to take whatever thoughts and feelings arise and investigate them. Use the reality of our natural mind as our theory. We rely on this [directly observable] reality.