Friday, January 20, 2017

Thinking (5)

Watch deeply the following Thay's Dharma talk video on 'Taking Care of our Thinking'. 
https://www.facebook.com/thichnhathanh/videos/vb.7691064634/10154446854299635/?type=2&theater
The followings are excerpts from the above video.

Quotes:
(from -25:00)
In order to unlock the door of happiness, the door of the Kingdom, the door of compassion and love, we need the key. That key according to the teaching of the Buddha is the triple training of mindfulness, concentration and insight. It is possible to cultivate insight and compassion. The Kingdom of God is the place where we can cultivate, we have a chance to cultivate understanding and compassion. And we may like to do that together with other people well with the same concern and desire. 

When you grow a corn, you have a corn to eat. When you grow a wheat, you have a wheat to eat. When you grow compassion, you have compassion and understanding, the ground of your own peace and freedom and happiness. And in order to grow, cultivate understanding and compassion, you have to be there. Understanding suffering, understanding anger, understanding depression, to be aware of them, to understand them, is very important. Because to be aware of suffering and to understand suffering is the door to penetrate into the domain of happiness. Unless you understand the nature of suffering, the cause of suffering, you see no path leading to transformation of suffering to happiness.

(from -15:01)
Because Right View is the foundation of Right Thinking. What is Right View? Right View is that everyone has suffering. ... But as a practitioner, you don't have to suffer even if the action or the speech of the person is negative and if you are capable of touching compassion, Right View in you. You say, "Well, I have to help him. I don't want to punish him. I want to help him." That is Right Thinking. And Right Thinking makes you feel much much better. It has a positive effect on your health and the health of the world. 

Right Thinking helps you consolidate Right View. And Right Speech also helps you consolidate Right View. And what is Right View? When you are fully present in the here and the now and observe your thoughts, observe your feelings, observe your emotions, you recognize that they are thoughts, they are feelings, they are emotions, and they are not realities. And you are not stuck into it. You retain your freedom. And that is very important. Even if a negative thought or feeling arises, and if you are fully present in the here and the now, and if you remember that your thought is just a thought, is not the reality, that's enough to keep you free and allow your wisdom and compassion to come into action in order to help you. 
:Unquote

(To be continued)

(My Commentary)
I understand that what Thay means by Right Thinking is direct thinking which is directly linked to the senses without passing through feelings and perceptions. In other words, Right Thinking means non-thinking. So, Right Speech and Right Action must be based on Right View (insight) without thinking.

Almost all thoughts except for direct thinking (non-thinking) cause separation, discrimination, or the duality. That's why afflictions arise and people suffer. Thay said that mindfulness, concentration and insight are the key for happiness. I understand that this is because mindfulness is for stopping thinking, and concentration is for attaining insight through deep looking. And that insight (understanding) generates love and compassion which bring about peace, freedom, solidity, joy and happiness. 

(Cf.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014NYEP04

The Buddha