(A Discourse delivered
to the assembly of Western Monks, Novices and Lay-disciples at Bung
Wai Forest Monastery, Ubon)
A confused body and mind means a confused person and a peaceful
body and mind, a peaceful person.Actually, the mind, like rain
water, is pure in its natural state. If we were to drop green
coloring into clear rain water, however, it would turn green. If
yellow coloring it would turn yellow.
The mind reacts similarly. When a comfortable mental impression
'drops' into the mind, the mind is comfortable. When the mental
impression is uncomfortable, the mind is uncomfortable. The mind
becomes 'cloudy' just like the colored water.
When clear water contacts yellow, it turns yellow. When it contacts
green, it turns green. It will change color every time. Actually,
that water which is green or yellow is naturally clean and clear.
This is also the natural state of the mind, clean and pure and
unconfused. It becomes confused only because it pursues mental
impressions; it gets lost in its moods!
Let me explain more clearly. Right now we are sitting in a peaceful
forest. Here, if there's no wind, a leaf remains still. When a wind
blows it flaps and flutters. The mind is similar to that leaf. When
it contacts a mental impression, it, too, 'flaps and flutters'
according to the nature of that mental impression. And the
less we know of Dhamma, the more the mind will continually pursue
mental impressions. Feeling happy, it succumbs to happiness.
Feeling suffering, it succumbs to suffering. It's constant
confusion!
In the end people become neurotic. Why? Because they don't know!
They just follow their moods and don't know how to look
after their own minds. When the mind has no one to look
after it, it's like a child without a mother or father to take care
of him. An orphan has no refuge and, without a refuge, he's very
insecure.
Likewise, if the mind is not looked after, if there is no training
or maturation of character with right understanding, it's really
troublesome.
One of the method of training the mind is Kammathana. "Kamma" means
'action' and "thana" means 'base'. In Buddhism it is the method of
making the mind peaceful and tranquil. It's for you to use in
training the mind and with the trained mind investigate the
body.
Our being is composed of two parts: one is the body, the other, the
mind. There are only these two parts. What is called "the body", is
that which can be seen with our physical eyes. "The mind", on the
other hand, has no physical aspect. The mind can only be seen with
the 'internal eye' or the 'eye of the mind'. These two things, body
and mind, are in a constant state of turmoil.
