Forever Feelings of Pleasure and Displeasure

The observance of moral precepts creates a strong foundation upon which we can establish our concentration practice. The strength of concentration in turn gives rise to sati-paññā, mindfulness and wisdom. We then use mindfulness to keep a watch on the mind, observing all of its thoughts and emotions.

The emotions most easily noticed are the coarser defiling ones of pleasure and displeasure that we feel towards forms, sounds, odours, flavours and bodily sensations. When the eyes see forms, or the ears hear sounds, there will always be a consequent feeling of either pleasure or displeasure arising. However, once mindfulness is firmly established in the present moment, sati- paññā will be able to reflect upon and see the impermanence of any emotion that has arisen.

The mind, as a consequence, lets the emotion go from the mind. By having mindfulness securely founded in the present moment we are able to keep the mind free from all emotions, therefore abiding in a state of detached equanimity. No matter how subtle or strong the pleasure or displeasure may be, our mindfulness and wisdom will be aware of the emotion, contemplating it in order to abandon it from the heart.

Once the mind has gained a firm basis in concentration, it naturally follows that mindfulness becomes more sustained. As a result, we will have the wisdom to reflect upon all of the sensory impressions that contact the mind and their resultant emotions, seeing them in the very instant that they arise.

Nevertheless, we are still not able to completely rid the mind of all its moods and emotions. This is because, even though we may have been successful in relinquishing all the emotions of desire and aversion that have arisen in this day, tomorrow our eyes will meet with new forms, and we will experience sounds, odours and flavours again; the body will contact cold, heat, softness and hardness again.

There will forever be feelings of pleasure and displeasure arising within the mind. As a result, our sati-paññā will always have to contemplate all of our daily sensory contacts as they arise.

This reflection by Luang Por Akaradej Thiracitto Bhikkhu (Ajahn Dtun) is from the book The Autobiography and Dhamma Teachings of Luang Por Akaradej Thiracitto Bhikkhu, (pdf) pp. 175-176.