Page 55 - Dhamma Practice

to cultivate mindfulness. This is to contemplate all conscious phenomena that emerge, to see how they change or how they cease. Whether we undertake major or minor bodily movements, we should have the awareness to contemplate.
What are mind sensations? As mentioned before, this is when we feel uncomfortable, feel sad, feel depressed and dejected, feel happy, feel soft and gentle, or feel exhilarated. All of them are mind sensations. When mind sensations emerge, how should we contemplate? Whether sensations of the physical body or the mind, they are all governed by the Rule of Trilaksana (The Three Characteristics of Beings)—emergence, existence, and cessation. Even happiness that emerges, it is also not permanent. This is not to deny happiness, but to know that happiness is not permanent. What about sufferings? They are also not permanent.
Therefore, when sufferings emerge, we should have the awareness to wilfully contemplate how they emerge and cease. When sufferings emerge, the quicker we can extinguish them, the better. I have already taught you how to extinguish sufferings. As mentioned last night, when thinking about issues that are upsetting, what is our state of mind? Cramped and heavy—these are characteristics of mind sensations. Therefore, if we want to extinguish them, we have to do it in our mind. Can we use our thoughts? If we could do it, that is good.
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