We’ve spent a few weeks considering the vastness of mind - how the mind is intrinsically empty or spacious, luminous or knowing, and ceaselessly compassionate. We’ve begun to explore how the mind and the objects of mind are not the same phenomena, how we can get caught up by the endless flow of thoughts, remembered or imagined conversations, moods, mind states and not remember that there is a mind through which these ephemera pass.
Now with that perspective in hand, we turn back to investigate what is actually flowing through the mind, when it is present, and when it is absent. But to do this, contrary to my intentions of last week, we need to dwell a little longer on the third foundation of mindfulness, mindfulness of mind.
Below is the complete text of this foundation - as found in the Sutta known as the Satipatthana Sutta or the Four Foundations (or Establishments) of Mindfulness translated by Venerable Analayo. As you can see below, the text in this sutra doesn’t mention vastness or emptiness or cognizance or even compassion.
[MIND]
“And how, monks, does he in regard to the mind abide contemplating the mind?“Here he knows a lustful mind to be ‘lustful’, and a mind without lust to be ‘without lust’; he knows an angry mind to be ‘angry’, and a mind without anger to be ‘without anger’; he knows a deluded mind to be ‘deluded’, and a mind without delusion to be ‘without delusion’; 5 5 he knows a contracted mind to be ‘contracted’, and a distracted mind to be ‘distracted’; he knows a great mind to be ‘great’, and a narrow mind to be ‘narrow’; he knows a surpassable mind to be ‘surpassable’, and an unsurpassable mind to be ‘unsurpassable’; he knows a concentrated mind to be ‘concentrated’, and an unconcentrated mind to be ‘unconcentrated’; he knows a liberated mind to be ‘liberated’, and an unliberated mind to be ‘unliberated.’
[REFRAIN]
“In this way, in regard to the mind he abides contemplating the mind internally … externally … internally and externally. He abides contemplating the nature of arising … of passing away … of both arising and passing away in regard to the mind. Mindfulness that ‘there is a mind’ is established in him to the extent necessary for bare knowledge and continuous mindful- ness. And he abides independent, not clinging to anything in the world.
“That is how in regard to the mind he abides contemplating the mind.” ~~ translation by Analayo
It asks us to consider whether the mind is “lustful” - or grasping, wanting, craving - or “without lust.” Is the mind “angry” or "without anger?” Is the mind “deluded” or “without delusion?” Is it “contracted” and “distracted?” As our practice becomes more subtle, so do the qualities we can become more mindful of.
The Buddha is asked us in this third foundation of mindfulness to look into our minds and know what is present and what is absent. And the easiest of the list mentioned are greed, hatred, or delusion - their presence and their absence.
So our investigation of the vastness of the mind has given us a little preparation for distinguishing these qualities or movements of mind as temporary occupiers of our minds, passers through, one might say, that are not the same as the mind that knows them. And once we get familiar with how the mind is with greed or wanting present, we can become familiar with the mind that is free of greed or wanting.
These mind states of greed, hatred and delusion with all their refinements and variations will be very familiar to us. Knowing that these states are present or absent may not be.
This is a key turning point on the path. To be able to distinguish wanting in the mind from its absence is to begin to understand when we are identified with our mind states and when we are not, when we are free of the bondage of identification. And an interesting thing to note is what happens to the craving or wanting when we see it, “Ah, craving or wanting is present.”
An example of this can occur right in the middle of meditation. How often do we sit to meditate and say, I need a sip of tea, I need to get a sweater, I need to get up to open/close a window, before I can settle down. Ah, craving or wanting is present. Do we reach for the tea? Get up for the sweater? What happens when we simply stay with the wanting?
How often do we say I can’t sit still, I’m too restless, my mind won’t calm down. Ah, aversion or not wanting are present. Do we get up and do something else? If we do this often enough, we practice responding to aversion during meditation by getting up. What happens if we simple stay with the aversion a little longer? Does it become interesting to know wanting or aversion when they are present? To watch them grow and then fade away?
Here is scholar and founder of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Andrew Olendski’s take on mindfulness of mind from their newsletter in 2004:
"With the third foundation of mindfulness, mindfulness of the mind, it becomes a little more evaluative. We are asked to notice, when there is attachment present in the mind, that the mind is attached. When that attachment—also known as greed or wanting—is not there, we notice that the mind is not attached. The same thing happens with aversion, also called hatred or resistance. If it is arising in the mind, then we can notice that the mind is beset by aversion. If it is not there, then we notice that the mind is without aversion. The idea is not, as I understand it, to compare the two states of presense and absence. But one cannot help, on an intuitive, almost cellular level, to begin to discern the difference between what it feels like: what you know about yourself in the world when the mind is beset by attachment or aversion, and when it is not. [My italics] The same process is outlined for confusion or delusion.”
We’ll listen to a guided meditation by Analayo as he takes us through this investigation. This was a guided meditation we have heard before but the repetition with the above emphasis will help us pinpoint the experience of the mind when greed, aversion, or delusion are present. And/or when they are absent. As with all his guided meditations on the Satipatthana Sutta, he guides us first through scans of the body parts, the four elements, and feeling tone before centering the investigation on mindfulness of mind.