Dharma declares war on non-dharma

Certain doctrines emphasise this approach to stimulate the mental process. Mindfulness means painstakingly watching the mind at all times. The Lord Buddha manifested this truth as a demonstration of how to maintain an upright mind. To know the mind, we must pivot it solely toward the dharma. We must cultivate mindfulness to control a mind that has been enthralled by defilement for aeons of existence in the Cycle of Rebirth.

On the day of his enlightenment, the Buddha delineated the Four Noble Truths that had come into his mind: Suffering should be contemplated, the Cause of Suffering should be abandoned, the Cessation of Suffering should be enlightened and the Path procreating the Cessation of Suffering must be enriched. He directed dharma and non-dharma. It is indispensable to contemplate the gist of both. 

The Exalted One indicated the various tenets on dharma practice to extirpate defilement. We have to realise a wide range of both dharma and non-dharma. Dharma practice is to know and discern our minds through the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – the contemplation of corporeality, feeling, mind and mind-objects. 

Each approach must be wary of both the mind’s righteous and unrighteous aspects. Virtue and vileness are adversaries in an infinite fight. In this spiritual war the mind must win its independence. An independent mind is imperative in achieving the Ten Perfections – generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, endeavour, tolerance, truthfulness, loving-kindness, equanimity and resolution.

Resolving this war is the linchpin among various virtuous armaments needed to prevent the mind from being slave and captive. In meditating, we must be vigilant within the present mind, drifting neither into the past or the future. We contemplate the present and come to know the here and now through incessant mindfulness and by distinguishing among the variety of phenomena and defilements.

The Round of Existence is the result of a lack of mindfulness. The mind must be fully trained to shun all types of defilement. This is a wily and subtle stratagem, essential to the ingenuity of the mental process, It channels the mind toward estrangement over tarnishes, safe from the thrall of guileful defilement. This has to be practised to discern the volitional formations – external and internal discernment, proximate and distant discernment and discernment into phenomena.

 

VENERABLE ACARIYA DHAMMARAT DHAMMARATOE is the abbot of Wat Chark Yai in Chanthaburi.