RIGHT EFFORT
Developing Unarisen Healthy States
Whatever a person frequently
thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their
mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has
abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate the healthy state, and then
one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19)
Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts
the mind, and strives to develop the arising of unarisen healthy mental
states. One develops the unarisen investigation-of-states awakening
factor. (MN 141)
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The second of the seven factors of awakening
is called the investigation of states, and this refers to a quality of
curiosity and interest that naturally arises when we become mindful, or
fully aware, of our own mental and emotional states. Anything looked at
closely enough becomes interesting, even fascinating. Like any mental
factor though, this quality of investigation usually requires some
effort to arouse and sustain. |
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Make a point of
taking an interest in things, even subtle aspects of your own
experience. If your ear is itching, zoom in on that sensation and
investigate it carefully: What does the itch feel like exactly? If you
feel hurt by something said to you, take the time to see how that hurt
actually manifests in your mind and body. By cultivating the quality of
this awakening factor, the investigation of states, you build
self-understanding.
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Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and Abiding in the Third Jhāna
One week from today: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States
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