Page 26 - Dhamma Practice

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but do it with an unburdened mind—unburdened from “self”—not from thoughts. When we are unburdened by the feeling of “self”, even when we have thoughts, we do not suffer. This is discriminative wisdom. It is not that when the mind is unburdened, we cannot have thoughts. Without thoughts we cannot do anything, correct? Before we speak, before we pick up things, before we touch, or before we move—they all require sankhara or mental formations. We think about what we will do; do it for what purpose; and whether the end results are good or bad. They are all “sankhara”. The question is whether these sankhara consist of “self”. Do they consist of a greedy mind (lobha citta), an angry mind (dosa citta), or a deluded mind (moha citta)?
With an unburdened mind that is free of “self”, what kind of unwholesomeness can occur? No unwholesomeness can occur. Without “us”, greed cannot emerge, anger cannot emerge, and delusion cannot emerge. Why? Because when we see that there is no “us”, that is discriminative wisdom. It is the ability to see reality—this is what we call “correct perception” (samma-ditthi). Their natural conditions are as we perceive, not as we imagine. Seeing the reality of the physical and mental phenomena could be done via any of the six sensory passages: Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Another reality that we try to contemplate is that all natural phenomena are impermanent. They emerge, exist, and cease all the time.