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Mind and Mental Factors
by Venerable Thubten Chodron©
Dharma Friendship Foundation, Seattle, Washington, USA
January 16, 1995 to May 20, 1996
16 January 1995
Mind and Mental Factors - Introduction
The text is called Lo Rig which means mind and awareness. This course covers the part of the text that is about the mind and mental factors, which is about how the mind works and is based on a different model of psychology than we have in the west; it's a different way of looking at the mind. Use this to look at your mind and see if it describes your reality. From Buddhist view, there's a body and a mind but "I" is merely labeled onto that; it has no findable existence. Mind refers to the cognitive, perceptual, aware, knowing, experiential part of you. It is very broad. Don't think of it only as intellect. Also mind is not singular or unitary; there are many facets of mind and they are changing constantly. Venerable gives an overview of the mind and mental factors.
• Audio: 71 minutes : Download mp3 file
23 January
Five Omnipresent Mental Factors - Feelings
Venerable Chodron describes how the primary mind (the aggregate of consciousness) and the mental factors are related and depend on the same sense organs. She focuses on feeling, one of the five omnipresent mental factors (they are feeling, discrimination, contact, intention, and attention) in a practical way so that we can use awareness to further us on the path to enlightenment. She leads an experiment that shows us how to separate feeling from sensation thus getting us in touch with our basic experiences. We learn the value of focusing on sensations instead of the feelings arising with them. This builds an awareness of the difference between direct perception and conceptual perception that helps to lead us to antidotes for disturbing attitudes.
• Audio: 66 minutes : Download mp3 file
6 February
Five Omnipresent Mental Factors - Feelings Cont.
Venerable Chodron leads a guided mindfulness meditation, inviting participants to observe feelings and attitudes arising from bodily and mental sensations. Discussion ensues on the feelings of attachment and aversion which arise as a result of sensations and how this illustrates the first and second Noble Truths. Venerable Chodron then teaches on the mental factors of feeling, discrimination, intention and contact. She discusses different ways of classifying these mental factors and provides examples. Discussion with and questions from the group explore deeper understanding of these factors and how they interrelate with each other, with karma, the environment, and other factors.
• Audio: 85 minutes : Download mp3 file
13 February
Five Object Ascertaining Mental Factors - Introduction
Venerable Chodron first reviews and continues explaining the 5 Omnipresent Mental Factors: feeling, discrimination, intention, contact, and mental engagement (attention). She then introduces the 5 Object Ascertaining Mental Factors (determining mental factors): aspiration, appreciation, mindfulness, single-pointedness (concentration), and intelligence. While answering questions, Venerable Chodron clarifies the meanings of the terms desire, thought, and mental image. She also gives examples of non-conceptual mental consciousness and primary mind.
• Audio: 79 minutes :Download mp3 file
27 February
Guided Meditation and Continued Discussion
Venerable Chodron leads a Guided meditation on our precious human life. After the meditation, Venerable Chodron teaches that the Lamrim meditations are essential for setting proper aspirations and laying the foundations for higher practices. By practicing this meditation on our precious human life, we develop appreciation for the opportunities presented in this life to study dharma. This in turn helps us develop our aspiration to fulfill our potential to become a fully enlightened being. Ven Chodron then discusses the mental factors of appreciation, mindfulness, introspective awareness and conscientiousness in greater depth. She encourages us to develop awareness of the arising and interplay of these factors in our own minds during our daily lives.
• Audio: 54 minutes : Download mp3 file
1 May
Five Objects Ascertaining Mental Factors Continued
This talk is about the object ascertaining mental factors of aspiration, belief, mindfulness, concentration/stabilization and wisdom. First Venerable Chodron reviews the mental factors of intention, aspiration and belief. Intention moves the mind to an object. Mindfulness holds the object of meditation and functions to prevent the mind from getting distracted. Belief stabilizes the apprehension of a previously ascertained object. It sees what is valuable in it and cherishes it. She then explains stabilization and its various types. It is a mental factor that stays on an object of concentration single pointedly for a long time. It is the basis for developing wisdom. Lastly, she discusses wisdom mental factor. It has the function of discriminating the qualities, faults and characteristics of an object held in memory using analysis. It has the connotation of wisdom (conventional existence and emptiness) and intelligence.
• Audio: 60 minutes : Download mp3 file
8 May
Faith and Confidence
Venerable Chodron discusses the first virtuous mental factor of faith (and/confidence). She clarifies how faith and confidence in the context of Buddhism may be different from the connation that these terms have for us. Faith is a joyous state of mind that is produced by referring to topics such as the three jewels, Karma and qualities of Bodhisattvas. This mental factor acts as a basis for generating the aspiration/wish to develop virtuous qualities. It gives us confidence and hope to move forward in our practice. Venerable Chodron also shares the progress of faith in the context of her own spiritual journey. This talk starts with a brief summary of object ascertaining mental factors (covered earlier).
• Audio: 90 minutes : Download mp3 file
26 June
Review; Integrity & Consideration of Others
After first emphasizing the importance of daily meditation practice and attending teachings, Venerable Chodron continues to discuss the mind and mental factors, touching on mindfulness, single-pointedness, and wisdom. She reviews mental factors of faith and confidence before introducing the importance of cultivating integrity (self-respect) and consideration of others (avoiding negativity for the sake of others).
• Audio: 54 minutes : Download mp3 file
10 July
Non-Attachment
Ven. Chodron reviews mental factors of personal integrity and consideration for others and contrasts them with shame and guilt. She then addresses non-attachment, non-hatred, and non-bewilderment. These are the opposite of and oppose the three poisons, attachment, anger, and ignorance. These correspond to the three aspects of the path: renunciation, bodhicitta, and wisdom realizing emptiness. She focuses on non-attachment and discusses the antidotes to attachment. Students discuss various attachments. As we investigate our attachments we start to think about what spirituality is all about.
• Audio: 59 minutes : Download mp3 file
24 July
Non-Attachment Continued
Venerable Chodron leads meditations for developing the mental factor of non-attachment as it applies to reputation, praise and approval. While responding to questions and comments, she examines the problems that arise from these attachments and explains the importance of doing the meditations. Ven. Chodron then begins discussion of the mental factor of non-hatred as the basis for prevention of anger and increase of love and patience. She explains the 3 objects of anger, and 4 situations not to retaliate in.
• Audio: 77 minutes : Download mp3 file
14 August
Non-hatred and Non-bewilderment
Venerable Chodron continues her teaching on the 51 mental factors that influence our state of mind at any particular moment. Non-hatred and non-bewilderment are included in the group of eleven wholesome mental factors. Concerning non-hatred she explains the true meaning and value of patience and listening skills as antidotes to hatred. She further discusses communications skills as an important adjunct to meditation.
Non-hatred serves to counteract anger and aversion. It includes patience and love; important qualities that help us achieve a balanced state of mind. Non-bewilderment accompanies wisdom and acts as an antidote to confusion that we may have about important concepts such as karma and the Four Noble Truths, and to develop a deeper understanding into the nature of mind.
• Audio: 62 minutes : Download mp3 file
21 August
Joyous Effort and Pliancy with Tenzin Kacho
This talk on the mental factors of joyous effort and pliancy is preceded by a summary of non bewilderment and the need to cultivate wisdom that cuts the root of suffering and enables us to benefit sentient beings in the most skillful way possible. This topic was presented earlier by Venerable Chodron and here by Ven. Tenzin Kacho.
Venerable Chodron explains the mental factors of joyous effort and mental pliancy. Joyous effort is a mental factor that gives us the enthusiasm to progress on the path. Venerable Chodron discusses the obstacles to developing this mental factor namely laziness and the three types of laziness and antidotes to overcome them.
Venerable Chodron then describes the mental factor of mental pliancy. This refers to a serviceability/flexibility of mind that allows us to direct and focus our mind on a virtual object clearly, at our will. It is achieved through training in meditative stabilization. Pliancy is an important part of concentration that helps to develop the wisdom that cuts the
root of Samsara.
• Audio: 70 minutes : Download mp3 file
28 August
Conscientiousness
Venerable Chodron explains the union of calm abiding and special insight meditation, and then goes on to explain mindfulness in terms of awareness of the 10 positive and the 10 negative actions. Conscientiousness is the valuing of these 10 positive actions, which produces mindfulness. Venerable Chodron explains the 5 different ways of categorising Conscientiousness.
Q & A
Q. Is it possible to have disturbing attitudes and still be virtuous?
Q: Is this analytical meditation?
Q: How long should we meditate on a conclusion in analytical meditation?
• Audio: 49 minutes : Download mp3 file
5 September
Conclusion of the Teachings of the Eleven Virtuous Mental Factors
Venerable Chodron first defines and leads meditations on five types of conscientiousness. She then gives a teaching on the virtuous mental factor of non-harmfulness (compassion), during which she describes the three kinds of compassion. Venerable Chodron next defines and discusses the mental factor of equanimity. She differentiates it from other kinds of equanimity as a mental factor that comes while one is going through the nine stages to developing samatha (calm abiding). In this session, Venerable Chodron concludes her teachings on the eleven virtuous mental factors.
• Audio: 62 minutes : Download mp3 file
11 September
Guided Meditation and Continued Discussion
Venerable Chodron leads a guided meditation on the 3 types of compassion: observing sentient beings, observing phenomena (transience), and objectless compassion. Venerable Chodron then teaches on disturbing attitudes - factors which cause our mind to be unpeaceful and unsubdued. In particular, Venerable Chodron focuses on the root disturbing attitude of attachment, examining its causes and effects in our lives. Participants are invited to examine their own attachments and their resulting attitudes and behaviors, and how these create a lack of freedom and happiness. By examining our own attachment and having compassion for ourselves and others in the grip of this disturbing attitude, we are able to move towards freedom and bodhicitta.
• Audio: 68 minutes : Download mp3 file
16 October
Reflections from Venerable Chodrons Trip to India
Ven. Chodron shares about her recent trip to Singapore and India during which the mind training teachings were foremost on her mind. She was thinking about what are the most important things to do, such as practicing Dharma with love, gratitude for one's teacher, and a happy mind. She shares how to apply the Dharma in challenging inter-personal and other life situations.
• Audio: 74 minutes : Download mp3 file
23 October
Attachment
Ven. Chodron leads a meditation for us to look at our attachments, particularly to praise and reputation. The formal teaching begins at 22 minutes, 40 seconds into the recording. She gives a definition of attachment and describes how meditating on it relates to the wider framework of the teachings and the path. She talks about the types of objects we can become attached to. She explains some antidotes to attachment, such as emptiness, impermanence, and ugliness.
Q & A
Q. Where does this fit in with the 12 links?
Q: Would offering objects of attachment to the Buddhas qualify as an antidote?
• Audio: 67 minutes : Download mp3 file
20 November
Wrong Views; Meditation on I & Mine
Venerable Chodron begins these teachings by leading a guided meditation on trying to identify the solid "I." After the meditation she offers an overview regarding the way our clinging to the insistence of an inherently existing "I" is the root of our ignorance which leads to the creation of negativities. She then expands on this by focusing on the type of deluded doubt which inclines us toward confusion, indecisiveness and wrong views. She concludes the teachings by giving an overview of the five major types of deluded views which regard the "I" and the aggregates as permanent and act as the basis for our disturbing attitudes.
• Audio: 72 minutes : Download mp3 file
27 November
The Mental Factor of Jigta
Ven. Chodron addresses the mental factor jigta, the wrong view of the transitory collection. It grasps at there being an independent "I" or agent and also an independent "my" or "mine" referring to the possessor (not what's possessed). Ven Chodron leads a meditation to understand this mental factor and it focuses more on grasping at "mine" than just "I." From this we see that we cannot find anything in things, people, or our own body that makes it inherently "mine." Nor can we find the one ("I") who is the possessor of the thing, person, or body. She describes Nagarjuna's analysis of any of five ways that things would have to exist if they had inherent existence and Chandrakirti's analysis which added two more ways. This analysis does not change the ontological status of how things exist; rather it changes our gut feeling of how things exist. Ven. Chodron discusses the mental factor "view holding to an extreme," which is based on jigta, and describes the two extremes.
• Audio: 47 minutes : Download mp3 file
11 December
Guided Meditation and Q & A
Venerable Chodron leads a Guided meditation on the mental factors of holding wrong ethics and modes of conduct as supreme and wrong views.
Discussion and Q & A about these mental factors ensued:
examples of wrong views
effects of wrong views in our lives
examining how one's cultural, religious and family backgrounds and conditioning can at times lead to the formation of wrong beliefs and views; the necessity for reexamining these in light of our knowledge of cause and effect, karma, the Four Noble Truths, etc...
wrong views can support ethical behavior; refuting the wrong views of another can lead to the harmful outcome of voiding their ethical system. Therefore skillful means are required when questioning others' beliefs or introducing the topic of the Dharma.
differences between Buddhist ethics and ethics imposed by God or others
belief in God, science, psychology: the assumptions these contain
a person's previous religious beliefs and how these can interact with growing Buddhist awareness
• Audio: 45 minutes : Download mp3 file
15 January 1996
Secondary Disturbing Attitudes Related to Anger
Ven. Chodron starts on the 20 secondary or proximate disturbing attitudes, which are called that because they are extensions or aspects of the root disturbing attitudes and occur in dependence on them .They are categorized as those derived from 1) anger, 2) attachment, 3)ignorance, 4)attachment and ignorance, and 5) all three. The list does not include all possible disturbing attitudes. This talk discusses the ones derived from anger: rage, vengeance (includes grudge-holding and possibly resentment), spite, jealousy.
• Audio: 90 minutes : Download mp3 file
22 January
Harmfulness; Guided Meditation on Grudges
Ven. Chodron leads a guided meditation on holding a grudge, how the other person might see the situation. What were our emotions while holding the grudge? She teaches an antidote to holding a grudge. Missing most of recording.
• Audio: 11 minutes : Download mp3 file
9 April
Complacency and Agitation
Ven. Chodron begins this talk with a short meditation on loving kindness. After a quick review of the mind and all the mental factors she explores fully the factors of complacency and agitation. She gives examples of how they can arise in negative ways in our mind, then explains how the antidotes of impermanence, the conditioned nature of all things and meditating upon the disadvantages of cyclic existence will help us transform these factors in positive directions.
• Audio: 73 minutes : Download mp3 file
15 April
Discussion Continued
Venerable Chodron discusses the 3 mental factors that are derived from attachment, namely: Miserliness or Stinginess, Happiness or Complacency, and Agitation or Excitement; and their antidotes. In the later part, she also discusses the 3 mental factors that are derived from Ignorance namely: Concealment, Lethargy (Dullness or Foggy mindedness) and Laziness; and their antidotes.
• Audio: 70 minutes : Download mp3 file
22 April
Lack of Faith & Forgetfulness
Venerable Chodron continues the commentary on the mind and mental factors. Through a meditation on death she shows us the disadvantages of a judgmental mind and helps us to review our standards and values especially about ourselves. She discusses the mental factors of "lack of faith" and "forgetfulness" and suggests antidotes for when they arise in our practice.
• Audio: 60 minutes : Download mp3 file
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