Is there a mind ?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
sentinel
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Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by sentinel »

:?:
pegembara wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:26 am What is the mind?
noun
1. the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
2. a person's ability to think and reason; the intellect.

Is it some kind of a 'self'? The 'knower', 'experiencer', 'thinker'. The 'one' who sees/hears/smells/taste/touch/feels/thinks/acts/imagines.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/wha ... steps/5172
The panics then led to a sort of a despair because the further thought was, well, if that is the case, that I'm just going to be snuffed out for eternity, then what's the point of doing anything while I'm here? It's all going to come to nothing. And I'm not going to be here to experience any reward or pleasure from what I've achieved, so why achieve anything?
Why do we called thought , awareness or intellect as mind ?
You always gain by giving
sentinel
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Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by sentinel »

Virgo wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:23 am James, for additional reading you might enjoy this book:

https://www.dhammahome.com/book_en/topic/22

:anjali: Kevin
Thanks for recommending .
You always gain by giving
paul
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Location: Cambodia

Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by paul »

pegembara wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:26 am What is the mind?
noun
1. the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
2. a person's ability to think and reason; the intellect.

Is it some kind of a 'self'? The 'knower', 'experiencer', 'thinker'. The 'one' who sees/hears/smells/taste/touch/feels/thinks/acts/imagines.
In Theravada, when there is mindfulness, it is able to be aware of 'state of mind' and 'mind objects'. This separate awareness is 'attention' (manasikara), which is able to focus on the moving 'mind objects', constituting the fourth foundation of mindfulness. This flow of mind objects does not have any inherent morality, and that is dependent on the choices made by manasikara. When it is wise attention, it is a cause for the arising of right view. The flow of mind objects has the characteristic that it works on the theme determined by the choices of manasikara. It keeps working even when attention is not aware of it, and will resurface having combined all the choices of attention on a particular theme into a consolidated form, so the choices are consequential. It is important not to regard the stream as a self, as it is only a raw material. Right mindfulness informs attention which choices to make from past knowledge and experience.
sentinel
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Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by sentinel »

paul wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 4:50 am

In Theravada, when there is mindfulness, it is able to be aware of 'state of mind' and 'mind objects'. This separate awareness is 'attention' (manasikara), which is able to focus on the moving 'mind objects', constituting the fourth foundation of mindfulness. This flow of mind objects does not have any inherent morality, and that is dependent on the choices made by manasikara. When it is wise attention, it is a cause for the arising of right view. The flow of mind objects has the characteristic that it works on the theme determined by the choices of manasikara. It keeps working even when attention is not aware of it, and will resurface having combined all the choices of attention on a particular theme into a consolidated form, so the choices are consequential. It is important not to regard the stream as a self, as it is only a raw material. Right mindfulness informs attention which choices to make from past knowledge and experience.
Fourth foundation of mindfulness is not mind objects , imo. Rather , about the process .
You always gain by giving
SavakaNik
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Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by SavakaNik »

SarathW wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:37 pm
SavakaNik wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:25 pm This question comes from wrong view.
If I ask "Is there a rock", is that also wrong view?
Yes. '"from what (dependant on/determined by, i.e. 'sankhara') is [x] (rock, mind, whatever)" would be the right question/approach/view.
pegembara
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Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by pegembara »

paul wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 4:50 am
pegembara wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:26 am What is the mind?
noun
1. the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.
2. a person's ability to think and reason; the intellect.

Is it some kind of a 'self'? The 'knower', 'experiencer', 'thinker'. The 'one' who sees/hears/smells/taste/touch/feels/thinks/acts/imagines.
In Theravada, when there is mindfulness, it is able to be aware of 'state of mind' and 'mind objects'. This separate awareness is 'attention' (manasikara), which is able to focus on the moving 'mind objects', constituting the fourth foundation of mindfulness. This flow of mind objects does not have any inherent morality, and that is dependent on the choices made by manasikara. When it is wise attention, it is a cause for the arising of right view. The flow of mind objects has the characteristic that it works on the theme determined by the choices of manasikara. It keeps working even when attention is not aware of it and will resurface having combined all the choices of attention on a particular theme into a consolidated form, so the choices are consequential. It is important not to regard the stream as a self, as it is only a raw material. Right mindfulness informs attention which choices to make from past knowledge and experience.
Is 'manasikara' passive awareness or actively 'making' choices?
This 'manasikara' isn't self either since 'it' works in the subconscious so much so that 'choices' are being made without awareness.

Min 5:38
Last edited by pegembara on Mon Dec 10, 2018 4:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
paul
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Location: Cambodia

Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by paul »

pegembara wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 3:07 am Is 'manasikara' passive awareness or actively 'making' choices?
It's actively selecting things from the moving stream like someone in a supermarket, and those selections form themes which either consolidate the hindrances or the enlightenment factors, to be visited on the practitioner in due course, either as defilement or insight. The phrases 'inappropriate attention' or 'appropriate attention' here refer to manasikara:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
Last edited by paul on Mon Dec 10, 2018 5:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
pegembara
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Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:39 am

Re: Is there a mind ?

Post by pegembara »

paul wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 3:41 am
pegembara wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 3:07 am Is 'manasikara' passive awareness or actively 'making' choices?
It's actively selecting things from the moving stream like someone in a supermarket, and those selections form themes which either consolidate the hindrances or the enlightenment factors, to be visited on the practitioner in due course. The phrases 'inappropriate attention' and 'appropriate attention' here refer to manasikara:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
The video refers to preparations(sankhara) of the five aggregates. Activities that occur before conscious knowledge.
And what, monks, would you say are ‘preparations’? They prepare the prepared - that, monks, is why they are called preparations.
And what is the prepared that they prepare? They prepare, as a prepared, form into the state of form, they prepare, as a prepared, feeling
into the state of feeling, they prepare, as a prepared, perception into the state of perception, they prepare, as a prepared, preparations into
the state of preparations, they prepare, as a prepared, consciousness into the state of consciousness. They prepare the prepared, so, that is
why, monks, they are called preparations."

Rūpaṁ rūpattāya saṁkhataṁ abhisaṁkharontī ti. Form is prepared into form by a process of specially prepared preparation. In a similar manner, vedanā feeling is prepared into feeling by a process of specially prepared preparation. “Vedanaṁ vedanattāya saṁkhataṁ abhisaṁkharontī.” The third one saññā has to be understood in a similar manner. The most wonderful interpretation is given to saṁkhāra. Saṁkhāre saṁkhārattāya
saṁkhataṁ abhisaṁkharontīti saṁkhārā. Saṁkhārā or preparations are so called because preparations are prepared into prepared form by a process of special preparation. Then comes consciousness, “viññāṇaṁ viññāṇattāya saṁkhataṁ abhisaṁkharonti”. “Consciousness is formed into
consciousness by a process of specially prepared preparation.”

Nanananda
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
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