| To understand the place of mind from the Buddhist | | | | careful he becomes the decisive factors of the mind |
| point of view, we must first of all look at the | | | | and obscures the truth. Then falsehood will prevail |
| Buddha's views on the cosmos (universe). According | | | | and cause the mind to defile. |
| to him, the mind is to be understood in a vast cosmic | | | | According to Buddhism, a cultivated mind gives |
| space. | | | | spiritual liberation peace, security and happiness. The |
| Biologically humans are weaker. Other animals are | | | | mind develops wisdom which discriminates right and |
| born armed for their survival. But human on the other | | | | wrong, good and evil, selflessness and selfishness by |
| hand, has mind for everything, but not as a weapon. | | | | being aware of right understanding and right |
| In fact religion is brought out as a component of | | | | mindfulness at all times. By cultivating the mind, one |
| understanding mind for the existence of human kind. | | | | can eliminate the cycle of rebirth and attain nibbaana |
| Buddha realized that mind is not a thing or an entity | | | | the absolute really selflessness. This object can only |
| with a separate existence but that, which arises on | | | | be achieved by adhering to the Noble Eightfold Path, |
| conditions. | | | | which embodies morality, mind culture and wisdom |
| "Dhuran gaman eaka charan - Asareeran guhaasayan | | | | (sila, Samadhi, panna). All three aspects can be |
| Ye chiththan sanna messanthi - Mokkhanthi maara | | | | achieved only through a cultured mind. A cultured |
| bandhana" | | | | mind leads to progress, happiness and nibbana, while |
| This famous gatha describes the nature of mind. It | | | | an uncultured mind leads to degeneration, destruction |
| says that mind travels alone, travel long journeys. It | | | | and continuance of sansara and suffering. |
| doesn't have a body. Lives in a cave; It's our body, | | | | The development of mind is two-fold. |
| Mind gets free and detached from "Mara Bandhana" | | | | |
| when it liberated from "Mokkha" (foolishness). As | | | | 1. Development of mental concentration (tranquility or |
| Lord Buddha pas preached, mind is colourless, | | | | "Samatha bhavana") |
| immaterial, and invisible. In other words, mind in | | | | 2. Development of wisdom or clear insight |
| Buddhism is an ever changing, constant, quick-moving | | | | ("Vipassana bhavana") The ultimate objective is to |
| process. Buddhist view on mind refuses the | | | | reach the unshakable tranquility and purity of mind, |
| materialistic aspect of mind. In Buddhism, the mind is | | | | which is the foundation of insight leading to |
| treated as an ever changing process of thinking and | | | | deliverance from the cycle of rebirth and misery. |
| meditating. It's said that mind is most of the time out | | | | With regard to Buddha's attitude towards |
| of our control. We should not let our mind to control | | | | psychology, it is fair to conclude that "Abhidamma" is |
| us instead individuals have to control their minds. | | | | psychology, as he places a great deal of emphasis on |
| The whole process of thinking is mind, which is the | | | | the importance of the role of the mind. We need to |
| mental process. Thus its status is supreme. Thinking | | | | recognize the fact that mind is the forerunner of all |
| and consciousness are components of that total | | | | mental states. Kamma which is the pivot on which |
| mental process. Mind as inner world processes is a | | | | Buddha Dhamma revolves is generated by speech, |
| Buddhist development. Mind is conceived not as a | | | | body and mind. It is also a mental factor (cheithasika). |
| substance but as a process. | | | | The importance of the mind in Buddhism in the five |
| The Buddha insisted that the mind is the most | | | | aggregates (panchakkandha), where four of the five |
| significant aspect of the individual. The "patichcha | | | | are mental components. Of the thirty seven factors |
| samuppaada" implies that for the individual the twelve | | | | of enlightenment the majority of factors listed are |
| links are of a mental character. | | | | mental. In the eightfold path which is the essence of |
| Mental and physical factors are conditioning factors | | | | Buddhism all the right factors are "cheithasika" |
| and they are relative interdependent and there is | | | | (mental factors). They are beautiful mental factors. |
| nothing absolute and independent. There is no first | | | | Thus the supreme role of mind is stressed. Buddhism |
| cause. So mind is not the first cause. It runs through | | | | based its philosophy on suffering, its diagnosis and |
| birth as an interdependent interconnected and relative | | | | cure and treatment. It can be interpreted as |
| factor. The mind really refers to sensation, perception | | | | psychiatry a branch of psychology. An important role |
| and thinking or volition in patichcha samuppaada. | | | | is given to speech in thinking in Buddhism, which is |
| Buddhism maintains that all stimuli of senses make the | | | | now collaborated by research in psychology. When |
| individual move in two directions of attraction and | | | | these facts are evaluated one must conclusively |
| repulsion. One has to attain a position of neutrally | | | | accept the important role played by the mind in |
| through self acquired culture. Both these processes | | | | Buddhism. A new awareness of inner world mental |
| of mental stirring (anarodha and virodha) underlie the | | | | processes is also a Buddhist development. Buddhism's |
| genesis of the life process (bhava). In the absence of | | | | preoccupation with analysis of mind resulted in a |
| such activity of the mind, the individual gains no | | | | remarkable revelation of the mental processes. |
| momentum for the regeneration of bhava. All mental | | | | Thus Buddha Dhamma is teaching of the mind, the |
| and spiritual endeavors of Buddhism aim at bringing | | | | operations or processes of the mind, and the |
| about this neutrality. | | | | deliverance of the mind, it is taught that it is the root |
| Mind is where all our emotions and desires are stored. | | | | of all behaviours. It had an object to serve, the |
| So by attaining "Nibbana", a person can get rid of all | | | | outlook of the individual as merely as an impermanent |
| these. Nibbana is the ultimate aim of a Buddhist. It is | | | | complex, with no essential reality. In the Nikayas, the |
| the ultimate state of mind of an individual who has | | | | outlook and the individual is predominantly one of |
| completely got rid of craving. Here too, the key | | | | mind in its manifold workings determining levels of |
| factor is the mind. Man can put a stop to rebirth by | | | | behaviour. In the "Sutras", the individual is presented |
| avoiding what is evil, by doing what is good and by | | | | as beyond human voluntary control. These prove the |
| purifying his mind by meditation. | | | | power of mind, as explained in Buddhism in various |
| Sensation is experienced by the mind. These are | | | | contexts. |
| sometimes pleasant, sometimes painful and | | | | Religions have their starting point. Buddhism begins |
| sometimes neutral. Perception means recognition of | | | | with the Buddha's search of mind. Buddha's doctrine is |
| names of beings, things, places sound, writing etc. | | | | a teaching deep-rooted in psychology. His theories |
| Thinking means here volition which are neither good | | | | are absolutely unique in the history of religions. Over |
| nor evil or thoughts based on the past and imagining | | | | the decades psychologists have studied the course |
| of the future, creating good or bad kamma. | | | | of mental activities of sensations, perception, speech, |
| Consciousness means sense awareness of sound, | | | | thought, consciousness and mind. These studies have |
| smell, tastes, forms, feelings and mental objects at | | | | forcibly made us aware how close these are to |
| the moment. | | | | Buddha's teaching, and yet how far they are. But the |
| These four components of the Nama dharma are the | | | | similarities are more striking. |
| creations of the mind. If an individual is not alert and | | | | |