The Twenty-Five Preliminary Ways & Means
for Observation of the Mind, Page Five

From The Calm-Observation, Volume Four...

 

  1. Discarding the Five Shrouds - These cover the mind and darken the spirit. Having already rejected the five sensory desires, the five sense faculties connect with the five sensations and create the five pure fields of consciousness. Now, in discarding the five shrouds, one enters into the ground of the thinking mind. We now deal with the inner mind and the source of the sickness rather than with the manifestations, which are but symptoms. It is like trying to uproot a poisonous plant or find a relentless thief or traitor. The Long Chapter (Pancavimsati Sahasrika Prajna Paramita Sutra) speaks of "freedom from desire as well as evil". Here 'freedom from desire' refers to rejection of the five sensory desires and 'freedom from evil' refers to discarding the five shrouds.
    1. The Shroud of Greedy Desire; One thinks that the forms one sees are beautiful and pure. One remembers the lovely voices that whisper in one's ear. One investigates the fragrances that open up the instigators of bondage. One thinks of delicious flavors and sweet juices begin to flow in one's mouth. Upon thinking of receiving physical contacts one's hair stands on its end and one quivers and shakes. The thoughts of the mind make one drunk and confused and one loses one's presence of mind. One uses the Meditations on Impurity to counteract these thoughts.
    2. The Shroud of Anger and Hate; When people are tormented, or their families are tormented, or their enemies are praised, there will be the arousal of emotional distress. Resentments will give rise to the crippling anger. The mind will coarsen and heat up until it is in a continuous state of anger and rage. Hundreds of schemes will be considered with a desire to harm and threaten others. Indulging in this poisonous anger the feelings are stretched into a kind of pleasure. Like this, the fire of hate destroys all of one's merits and virtues. How can the serenity of meditation ever be produced? One uses the Meditations on the Four Limitless States of Mind - Kindness, Compassion, Sympatheic Joy for Others & Equanimity to counteract these thoughts.
    3. The Shroud of Sleepiness; Drowziness is the dark, unconscious spirit of the mind. The six-fold consciousness will turn dark and cold and the four limbs spread out and fall asleep. Sleep is called an increase in the number of distractions of the mind. It is like crows that take advantage of darkness to afflict people and it is difficult to prevent it. When the one is not conscious of the five sensory feelings one is as helpless as a corpse, except that one is still breathing. It is called the 'small death'. One requires the Meditations on Diligence to counteract sleepiness. As The Great Discourse says, diligence is "like entering into a battle with a drawn sword, like being stuck in a room with a poisonous snake, and like a person who has been arrested and is soon to be killed - at times like these how can one possibly sleep in peace?"
    1. The Shroud of Restlessness & Worry; If one has applied and sustained attention (vitarka & vicara - the first, cognitive states of meditation) with prejudice, it will be due to the first three screens already discussed. Now one has applied and sustained attention with equanimity but in some things there still are random thoughts of greed, anger and stupidity that suddenly come and go, appear and disappear. The body has no place to go and the mouth chatters and laughs for no good purpose. Being restless but without worry, it still has not yet become a shroud. If you consider this restlessness of the mental ground and sincerely realize that there is a lack of self-control and that there is no good purpose for it, one will feel shame. However if there is too much regret and remorse, there will be the shroud of worry. This shroud will block mental concentration (meditation) and prevents it from developing. If one confesses this restlessness and then renews one's practice, when entering into meditation one will recognize one's errors and be without attachments to these thoughts. One should not only seek liberation from worry but one should also renew the cultivation of meditation with pure spirituality. One may also use the Meditations on the Exhaling and Inhaling of the Breath to counteract restlessness and worry.
    2. The Shroud of Doubt; This is the doubt that is caused by erroneous views of truth that obstruct the principle of the true spiritual aspect of reality. Because of this there are doubts that obstruct one's mental concentration. There are three kinds of doubt. If these three doubts linger, there will always be something harbored in one's heart that will prevent the inspiration of meditative concentration:
      1. Doubting Oneself; one reasons that one's own life is base and low, and that it could not be a vessel of spirituality (the Dharma). One should realize that one is like a rich baby that is spoiled and blind. One is endowed with the supreme precious treasure that is the spiritual life (S. Dharmakaya). Emotional desires and distress prevent one from realizing this, and one has not yet opened one's eyes to the path of enlightenment. It is necessary to cultivate the path in order to discard this doubt. The opportunity to do so as a human being comes only once in countless lifetimes so one should not lose this rare chance to seek spiritual enlightenment.
      2. Doubting the Teacher; If this person's words and deeds cannot invoke one's feelings of respect, how can this person be capable of deep meditation and skillful spiritual insight? If one follows this person, how one quickly attain the desired results? One should think about the fact that if there is no great person of wisdom available one should just seek the spirituality of the Dharma and not a person. The Great Discourse says "One should not throw away the gold just because it comes in a smelly bag." It also says "Conceit is like a tall mountain. The rain does not remain on it. The humble are like the rivers and the seas, with all the rivers converging into the ocean. Because of the Dharma one reveres the Teacher." Sariputra said "From now on I will not speak of one person being reborn into Life & Death and another person entering into Nirvana." One should always revere Those That Have Come from the past, the present and future. One's teachers are the Buddhas of the future. Why does one bear doubt?
      3. Doubting the Teaching; How can one be certain that the teaching one is receiving has the principle of the mean? When the Eye of Spirituality (Dharma) is not yet opened one will not distinguish between right and wrong. One depends upon the Dharma by Having Faith. Spiritual enlightenment (Buddha Dharma) is like the ocean. Only can only enter into it by means of faith.

Next, Regulating the Five Activities...

 

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