How to be Free from Mental Proliferation
Buddha’s understanding about the human condition was timeless and experiential as well as practical. He saw clearly what causes trouble in the world. His understanding is often different from our way of looking at things. In our ordinary world we see our woes as caused by circumstances.
Sojong Reminder 11/16 from Anam Thubten
Dear dharma friends,
Buddha’s understanding about the human condition was timeless and experiential as well as practical. He saw clearly what causes trouble in the world. His understanding is often different from our way of looking at things. In our ordinary world we see our woes as caused by circumstances. We tend to forget that our mental state plays a huge role in causing, as well as ending, unnecessary problems such as strife, conflict and misery.
Recently I have been revisiting and studying papanca. This is a Pali word that is often translated as mental proliferation. This is also very close to the Tibetan word troopa. Let’s think about proliferation. In this case it means that something becomes so rampant that it is harmful.
Buddha stated that papanca carries the very root of violence and greed, which automatically means it’s the root of much misery. I think in general, we humans are very complex beings. We have this amazing consciousness where we have so many thoughts and perceptions. And human consciousness is so creative. It’s like an inexhaustible ocean from which immeasurable waves of mental activities can arise.
There’s nothing innately wrong with this. In many ways, it is the gift of consciousness. The problem begins when we get caught up or lost in our thoughts and beliefs. And then we tend to lose touch with reality and just wallow in this unending cycle of suffering. For example we may have the thought ‘I might lose my job.’ If we follow that thought it starts to proliferate and before long, we are caught up in a wave of stories. We might think we may not be able to afford the rent, or feed our family, or have a good life.
So then we tend to go away from this present moment and to completely take our attention from the wonder of being alive. And then also we stop fully embracing the colors, sounds, textures and flavors of life, along with the presence of others and so many things.Just like the depth of the ocean is always calm regardless of whether the surface is calm or turbulent, there is a place in our consciousness that is spacious, unfettered and free of delusion.
And the whole purpose of meditation is really to abide in that. This place within ourselves is the true awareness which can be surprisingly accessible. The more we practice meditation the more accessible it becomes. This true awareness has the ability to experience all our mental activities without clinging towards any of them. And when we’re in it we feel that somehow our awareness is much more spacious than all these mental activities.
It’s like our awareness is big like the sky and all the thoughts are just clouds passing through. Our thoughts no longer have the power to bind us. The ancient masters developed techniques that can open the awareness. And yet it boils down to one simple method which is really just to be a pure witness to our own experience, and then let our thoughts dissolve and transform on their own.
Let me invite each of you to reflect on the reminder above during your Sojong practice. This is an extremely useful and insightful method taught by Buddha. May we be free again and again from the bondage of mental proliferation.
With palms joined,
Anam Thubten