RIGHT EFFORT
Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States
Whatever a person frequently
thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their
mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders unhealthy states, one
has abandoned healthy states to cultivate unhealthy states, and then
one’s mind inclines to unhealthy states. (MN 19)
Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts
the mind, and strives to abandon arisen unhealthy mental states. One
abandons the arisen hindrance of doubt. (MN 141)
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When a thought
or emotion arises that is obviously unhelpful or unhealthy, it is
natural to make some effort to get rid of it in order not to encourage
the damage that such states can do to oneself and others. “Abandoning”
involves a particular kind of effort, one that neither encourages nor
rejects the unhealthy state. It is not a matter of repressing or pushing
away unhealthy states but of letting them simply “flow through” the
mind.
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While in some
circumstances it can be healthy to doubt, the kind of doubt meant here
is that which is debilitating and holds us back from practice and
understanding. When doubt as an obstacle arises in your experience,
simply let it pass without trying to hold on to it or push it away. You
can “abandon” doubt by not letting it get a foothold in your mind but
instead watching it arise and pass away, as it will naturally do if you
let it.
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Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and Abiding in the Second Jhāna
One week from today: Developing Unarisen Healthy States
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