Numerical Discourses

By abandoning evil, and cultivating good, which the Buddha states are achievable goals, well-being and happiness are a result.

I have always thought the Buddha eschews terms such as “evil,” but not here. It seems as if that’s a general misconception, from my years hovering around Buddhism, but it may be "morally relativistic me" making that assumption. The notes point out that humans have a strong potential for evil, which can be arrested before action is taken, which is our choice, and our power of choice can be strengthened by the cultivation of good.

1. Don't be content with where you are
2. Be unremitting in the struggle for enlightenment

Be diligent, Scott. Don't be lazy, don't procrastinate, don't rationalize. Don't delay. Do it like your brief life, and everyone in it, and everything that happens after, depends on it.

Mindfulness directed to the body is a set of exercises, a methodology. Breathing, posture, attention to and meditation on death, etc. Directing mindfulness to the body is a prerequisite to gaining mindfulness of mental processes, and are helpful because it makes us really consider our impermanence, since the body is a perfect example of it.

It is rare to be born a human, to hear the Dharma, to learn from the Buddha, to understand his teachings, and to take the actions to achieve liberation. So the Buddha tells us to set a goal, to taste the results of ascetic practice, taste the results of hearing and understanding the Dharma, and taste liberation.

This lesson is moving and simple. If you see things clearly as they are, you see know of things as impermanent. You see nothing as a source of happiness. You see no self.

I, naturally, forget all of these when the shit hits the fan. I see my will as the force which steers me to the things I want, and over and over, the things I buy make me happier before I have them than after. And after years of reading and practicing what I learn about the Noble Truths, I see myself as ever changing, but oh so real.

Loss or gain of fame, wealth, and family (I am taking this to relate to status rather than familial love, etc) is nothing compared to the loss or gain of wisdom, the Buddha says. We grow through the increase of wisdom.

Again, I have to remember he was not talking about 'learning more stuff,' it is understanding the true nature of reality he was referring to. So yeah, stuff comes and goes, plugging into the wisdom is paramount.

The mental states: those born of greed, generosity, hatred, love, delusion, or clarity all have our intentions as the forerunner. Unhealthy states arise from lack of attention and mental discipline. Healthy ones arise from diligent practice.

Super short, appropriate for the mindless rushing around I am doing these days. The Buddha states an ideal: producing a thought of loving kindness, developing it, cultivating it, and giving attention to it, that is a good monk, worthy of offerings.

The footnote also is of interest. Since monks receive alms, there are different ways that a monk accepts alms, based on his practice. An immoral monk, receives alms as a thief, a good monk with poor "reflection" receives them as a debt, a trainee as an inheritance, and a monk as the owner.

This is almost short enough to paraphrase in its entirety. The Buddha states that state of mind changes quickly, so quickly he can't think of an analogy. He then describes that the mind is "luminous" but subject to defilement. The noble disciple knows this and therefore his mind develops.

The way it is stated, it seems the knowledge of the minds vulnerability is the sine qua non to mental development. Forewarned is forearmed, it what I get from this. Getting rid of defilement isn't the action, mental development is the action, lessening of defilement is the result.

Each item from the prior discourse is focused on. Here, the mind. The Buddha states that an undeveloped mind is unmanageable and causes suffering, while a developed mind is a happy one. Makes sense. More emphatically, he continues that an uncontrolled mind causes harm, while a tame, protected and guarded mind brings benefits.

My mind feels especially uncontrolled. My actions are not, for the most part. Not sustainable.