The Dhammapada Ch 1-1 & Ch 1-2

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The Dhammapada Ch 1-1 & Ch 1-2


Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.  If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.

Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought.  If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.

Learning Points:
We have three subjects: Body, Mind, and Consciousness.  Among these, body and mind are not substance as these will change constantly.  While body and mind are subjects which will be suffered and create sufferings, mind may directly influence body as mind may influence actions through body.
Mind can create more of negative karma than body as mind can influence actions through body.  Having impure mind is negative karma.  Influencing actions through the impure mind is another negative karma.  Actions based on the impure mind will create negative karma.  Results from the poor actions with impure mind will create sufferings for you.  In other words, impure mind will create and maintain negative cycle of karma (Dependent origination).

Therefore, in order to dismiss the negative cycle, we do need optimize conditions and balance of the three subjects.  Doing right actions (the Right Practice) is the best way for the optimization.  That is why the Right Practice is the practice of the Buddha.

Happiness is not the ending point of our spiritual journey.  The nothingness is the ending point.  Why happiness is not the ending point?  It is because happiness is not substance!  You can feel happiness or unhappiness so easily.  As long as unhappiness exists, happiness cannot be the substance as happiness will change to unhappiness.  However, the nothingness is the pure peace without suffering.  The nothingness is completely stable as the nothingness will not change.  If you focus on body and mind, you may focus on happiness for a while.  However, if you really want to attain the final salvation, you should focus on the nothingness through your consciousness.  That is why the optimization of the three subjects is important.


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