EPISODE 11 RECORDED 10.18.18 Buddhist Psychology

Buddhist Teacher JoAnn Fox explains how the mind creates every moment of consciousness. By understanding the way the mind works we can learn to control our own mind. We can create a beautiful, happy world for ourselves, even if our world is currently dark or painful.

The five all accompanying mental factors (feeling, discrimination, intention, contact, attention) work together with the eyes, ears etc. to create our experiences. Intention for example, moves our mind to the object we choose to pay attention to. Intention functions to create our karma. The mental factor feeling, on the other hand, functions to experience the results of our karma. By understanding how each mental factor works, we can change one of these factors, like our intention, and our feelings and experience will change.

The verses of the Dhammapada, by Buddha, we study in this episode are from Chapter Three "The Mind", verse 33-35:

"The restless agitated mind,

Hard to protect, hard to control

The sage makes strait,

As a fletcher the shaft of an arrow.

Like a fish out of water,

Thrown on dry ground,

This mind thrashes about,

Trying to escape Mara's command.

The mind,hard to control,

Flighty, alighting where it wishes--

One does well to tame.

The disciplined mind brings happiness."

References:

The Dhammapada, by Buddha. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. Shambala, Boston and London, 2011, pp. 9.

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Abhidharmasamuccaya, The Compendium of the Higher Teaching (Philosophy) by Asanga. Originally translated into French and annotated by Warpola Rahula. English version from the French by Sara Boin-Webb. ASIAN HUMANITIES PRESS, Fremont, California, jainpub.com, pp. 8-10.