RIGHT EFFORT
Restraining Unarisen 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 restrain the arising of unarisen unhealthy
mental states. One restrains the arising of the unarisen hindrance of
sense desire. (MN 141)
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There are two
popular conceptions that may well be wrong. One is that we have free
will to do whatever we want, and the other is that we have no control
over what our unconscious minds throw up into consciousness. This text
speaks to the ability to use our powers of conscious intention to
influence what rises into awareness from preconscious or subconscious
realms. There are ways to guard against unhealthy states.
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When sense
desire arises, it has the effect of hijacking the mind and driving it in
unhealthy directions. See what you can do to guard against certain
kinds of content arising. One example is learning not to follow the
"clickbait" that keeps popping up on your computer, urging you to go to
specific websites. An internal example is to stay mindful of thoughts
arising and passing away, seeing them as impersonal events, without
following the content down the rabbit hole.
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Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna
One week from today: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States
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