Lesson for mindfulness – part 3:

Observe the very process of perception itself

Battaramulla
Siri Sudassanarama
sadaham senasuna
Ven. Dr. Mirisse Dhammika thero

According to the Visuddhimagga and Vimuttimagga, moving from the foundation through the extensive evolution of mindfulness, one has to be aware of his/her own mental objects when he/she associates with them though the five senses.

The recommended procedure for observing mental objects (manoarammana) is as follows: When the practitioner perceives any mental object such as anger, jealous, hatred, love or compassion, the practitioner is not to dwell upon it in the ordinary egotistical way. For example,

People have the self-centred perception that whatever their beliefs and pre-conceived thoughts are, these beliefs and thoughts are considered permanent; when people apprehend things or other people, pre-settled beliefs or thoughts such as race, color, friends or enemies will be in the forefront of their mind, and they will act following those belief and thoughts.

By continuing mindfulness, the practitioner should observe the very process of perception itself: feelings such as hatred or love arise, persist, disband and are not permanent. The practitioner should observe what the mental object does to their senses and to their perceptions. For example, the ear “processes” sounds, but it is the mind that creates the reactions of attachment, aversion or neutrality to those sounds. Instead of holding these reactions as something objective and permanent, the practitioner should observe the feelings that arise, and the mental activities that follow. If one becomes attached to something or someone, love follows this attachment; if one becomes averse, anger may follow.

One should note the changes in the way one perceives events that occur within the mind. In watching and observing all these mental phenomena, one must become aware of one’s own perceptions; our senses contact objects and we feel attachment or aversion to these objects or we feel neutral about them.

This initial perception will spark pleasant, unpleasant or neutral thoughts. For example, when I feel love, I am happy; and when I feel fear or pain, I don’t like it. The understanding that this is common to all people promotes my empathy for others. This is very important for developing compassion among human beings. When people follow their feelings, various reactions may arise. They may feel agreed, desire or jealousy. They may have love, compassion or sympathy. They may feel fear, worry, restlessness or boredom. The cultivation of compassion instead of hostility suggests the possibility of consciously directing or shaping our perception. We simply perceive our feelings, and realize that these arising feelings are normal human responses and can arise in anybody, and these feelings are subject to change, they disappear and nothing is permanent . This cognitive knowledge helps people to prevent negative emotions in their mind. In other words, this practice helps to attack the root causes of stress, violence, aggressiveness and disrespect for life that are understood as feelings of anger, depression, anxiety or helplessness.