Mindfulness in Mental Objects (Sense Bases)

Five senses
Reference: The 12 Aspects of Mindfulness

The Six Internal and External Sense Bases are part of the mental objects that one needs to be mindful of. These are:

  1. Eye and visual forms
  2. Ear and sounds
  3. Nose and smells
  4. Tongue and flavors
  5. Body and tactual objects
  6. Mind and mental objects

Here are some excerpts from Satipatthana Sutta: The Foundations of Mindfulness.

“And further, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases.
“How, monks, does a monk live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases?
“Herein, monks, a monk knows the eye and visual forms and the fetter that arises dependent on both (the eye and forms); he knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
“He knows the ear and sounds… the nose and smells… the tongue and flavors… the body and tactual objects… the mind and mental objects, and the fetter that arises dependent on both; he knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; he knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and he knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
“Thus he lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, or he lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects externally, or he lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally and externally. He lives contemplating origination factors in mental objects, or he lives contemplating dissolution factors in mental objects, or he lives contemplating origination-and-dissolution factors in mental objects. Or his mindfulness is established with the thought, “Mental objects exist,” to the extent necessary just for knowledge and mindfulness, and he lives detached, and clings to nothing in the world. Thus, monks, a monk lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases.”
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EXERCISE

PURPOSE:   To practice mindfulness in the internal and external sense bases.

1.    Look and contemplate on EYE AND VISUAL FORMS.

  • Know the eye and visual forms
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

2.    Look and contemplate on EAR AND SOUNDS

  • Know the ear and sounds
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

3.    Look and contemplate on NOSE AND SMELLS.

  • Know the nose and smells
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

4.    Look and contemplate on TONGUE AND FLAVORS.

  • Know the tongue and flavors
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

5.    Look and contemplate on BODY AND TACTUAL OBJECTS.

  • Know the body and tactual objects
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

6.    Look and contemplate on MIND AND MENTAL OBJECTS.

  • Know the mind and mental objects
  • Know the fetter that arises dependent on both.
  • Know how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be.
  • Know how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
  • Do steps 7 – 10 before going to the next step.

7.    Continue contemplating this sense base internally and/or as observed externally.

8.    Be mindful of the origination factors in this sense base, and/or the dissolution factors in this sense base.

9.    Be mindful that this sense base exists to the extent necessary just for knowledge and mindfulness.

10.    Live detached, and cling to nothing in the world.

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Further references: KHTK Mindfulness

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Tour of Orbital Laboratory

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My Brother & I

Vinay012010C
2010
Vinay012010B
1948

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My brother Ashok, who is 2 years older than me

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MIT Greetings for Christmas 2012

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Looking at the Philosophy Project

Question

This post refers to the Philosophy Project.

The purpose of this post is simply to provide a holding area for ideas.

We shall be looking around at all different kind of stuff to digest it. The ideas shall first be discussed under the COMMENTS section. Anything pertinent will then be added to this post.

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A self (being) seems to be simply a “center of considerations” that it holds and continually outputs.

As the perception point identifies itself with knowledge through considerations, it gets fixed in its place, and loses it fluidity. Thus,  “I,” or the self, is generated.

All knowledge, regardless of its source, should be consistent. When there is inconsistency, there must be something unresolved that is underlying that inconsistency. Spiritual progress occurs when one starts to spot inconsistencies as they come up naturally and applies mindfulness to them until they dissolve.

As one starts to look mindfully at an inconsistency, it may lead to a chain of inconsistencies. Just keep looking more closely at the inconsistency that is on the “top of the stack.” It is very important to follow the 12 points of mindfulness.

“I” generates considerations (assessment, speculations, judgments, justifications, assumptions, etc.). These considerations are capable of filtering whatever “I” looks at. Taking responsibility means not letting one’s considerations color one’s perception and seeing things as they are.

Considerations seem to bring in the factor of “preservation,” whether it is the preservation of self, or the preservation of property. Justice seems to be concerned with such preservation.

Everything about this universe is in flux. Nothing stays the same. Everything is impermanent. Yet this whole system made up of impermanence seems to be permanently there. How can this inconsistency of “impermanence being permanently there” be explained?

Perception is there as long as manifestation is there. When manifestation is not there, there is no perception either. Thus, there can never be a perception of the state of non-manifestation. We would always perceive manifestation to be there. Ha ha… Q.E.D.

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(1) An “identity” may simply be a tight “knot” of considerations that needs to be loosened up.

(2) The self is the “center of considerations” analogous to the “center of mass.”

(3) An identity may not affect the self if it is somewhere at the periphery of considerations.

(4) If the identity is closer to the center, it may appear as if the self is stuck with it.

(5) But there are simply a bunch of considerations knotted together, which needs to be loosened up.

(6) Being stuck is simply “some considerations locked into each other.”

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There seems to be two different levels of knowledge:

(1) A level of knowledge before SELF comes into being.

(2) Another level of knowledge, which is generated when SELF starts to react to the previous level of knowledge.

Such a reaction may occur in chain resulting in ballooning of considerations. The only way to stop and reverse such ballooning of considerations would be to look non-judgmentally and see what is actually there.

Then one is no longer reacting to what is there. Instead one is now continually realizing what is there. This starts to deflate the ballooning considerations. In other words, the ego, or self, gradually starts to dissolve.

One can never predict where this process might lead to. :)

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At death, the body disintegrates into its particles, and the identity that was the body is dissolved. Similarly, the observing and thinking part of the person (the living soul) also disintegrates into its particles (considerations), and the identity that was the person is also dissolved. That is my current understanding.

However, the particles remain and they can recombine into another “body plus living soul” combination. There is infinity of such recombination.

What are the ultimate laws underlying this disintegration and reintegration, I don’t know the details at the moment. But this seems to be going on forever like complex cycles of some eternal wave according to Hinduism.

Nirvana is something different altogether. It happens to a live soul. In my opinion, nirvana is like exteriorization from CONSIDERATIONS. It is the separation of perception-point from all its considerations. This is called giving up of all attachment in Hinduism. One then sees things as they are without any filters as in Buddhism. There is no individuality in terms of considerations. A perception point is the same as any other perception point. It does not add anything to what is observed or experienced.

Nothing arrives at Nirvana. it is what remains after all attachments are dissolved. I call it a perception-point. But even the perception-point dissolves at parinirvana by merging into its own manifestation… something like electron merging into positron.

Parinirvana is probably what occurs at death, where the live soul, that was already reduced to a completely detached perception-point, merges back into its own manifestation, extinguishing both. The laws of disintegration and reintegration are thus bypassed. But this is only my speculation.

The basis of this speculation is removal of all inconsistencies that I am aware of at this level.

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