mikenz66 wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:
As your mindfulness becomes more subtle, refined, and concentration stronger you can get to a point where is can "feel" a thought start to arise....
Yes, I can only do this reliably in a retreat situation, and only after 3 years of practise, including several retreats...
If you have not tried it it may be hard to believe how much clearer the mind can become after several days of not talking, not having any responsibilities, just sleeping and noting...
Yes. This is one of the main reasons that the Buddha recommended
seclusion (
viveka) in his discourses as part of the ingredients to proper practice. This instruction can be found at the
Dhammadayada Sutta MN 3.5ff (ff = and following) as well as mentioned in several other passages from the suttas.
At MN 3.5 Sariputta is shown addressing the bhikkhus in training with the following question: "And in what way do disciples of the Teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion?" The bhikkhus agree that they would like to learn this teaching of the Buddha from Sariputta, who then proceeds to tell them: "Friends, in what way do disciples of the Teacher who lives secluded not train in seclusion? Here disciples of the Teacher do not train in seclusion; they do not abandon what the Teacher tells them to abandon; they are luxurious and careless, leaders in backsliding, neglectful of seclusion.
"In this the elder bhikkhus are to be blamed for three reasons. As disciples of the Teacher who lives secluded they do not train in seclusion: they are to be blamed for this first reason. They do not abandon what the Teacher tells them to abandon: they are to be blamed for this second reason. They are luxurious and careless, leaders in backsliding, neglectful of seclusion: they are to be blamed for this third reason. The elder bhikkhus are to be blamed for these three reasons.
"In what way, friends, do disciples of the Teacher who lives secluded train in seclusion? Here disciples of the Teacher train in seclusion: they abandon what the Teacher tells them to abandon; they are not luxurious and careless, they are keen to avoid backsliding, and are leaders in seclusion."
"Friends, the evil herein is greed and hatred ... anger and revenge... contempt and a domineering attitude ... envy and avarice ... deceit and fraud ... obstinacy and presumption ... conceit and arrogance ... vanity and negligence. There is a Middle Way for the abandoning of vanity and negligence, giving vision, giving knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. And what is that Middle Way? It is just this Noble Eightfold Path..."
Now, the obvious question here for the modern world is: How does all this relate to a householder's life who is endeavoring to live in the world while at the same time to practice seclusion? Obviously, if you think about it, this can be very difficult indeed! A householder's life is one of many unending duties in order to keep up with the many obligations of living a worldly life. The best one can do is to engulf oneself in as peaceful an atmosphere as is possible
when one is not working (earning a living) and continue the practice in that atmosphere as best he can.
This may mean turning off the television, the stereo, and the radio and living in silence so that you create the kind of secluded lifestyle that is conducive to serious practice. It may mean eschewing social relationships during portions of your day while you are practicing. It may mean paying attention to (being mindful of) where your mind is leading you throughout your day so that you can see the beginning, middle, and end effect that all your thoughts have on your psyche and how these effect your sense of peace of mind. It may mean giving up (for a period of time) some of your cherished hobbies or past times (those which distract you from being able to follow the subtle turnings of the mind) in favor of your practice. If you are not doing these things, then you are "backsliding." You are not creating a secluded lifestyle conducive to serious practice.
I only began to make serious headway in my own practice when I made a conscious decision to practice seclusion from the world and worldly distractions. It is this seclusion from distractions that pays dividends in practice as it allows one to pay closer attention to subtle mental activity
when it is occurring; otherwise one is likely to let it slip by unnoticed and unattended to. I was lucky at the time because I had enough financial stability to afford myself the luxury of a private retreat period of two and a half years where all I attended to was the practice and contemplation of the Dhamma. While this was good for me, it may not be something that everyone out there is able to do.
So, the best one can do in such a situation is to set up an amenable practice regimen that he intends to keep without backsliding from that commitment. Once you begin to receive the benefits of seclusion, your mind will begin to incline toward seclusion, and it will not be such a big deal to give up those things that you formerly perceived as being enjoyable past times.