As long as there is body and mind, there will always be feelings. As suggested earlier, the Buddha said that only three feelings should be observed. One of the three feelings, pleasant, painful, and neither pleasant nor painful, always exists at any given moment. As long as the body is alive, pain, suffering, or disease cannot be avoided.
So, is there any way to overcome these?
Yes, it is possible when mindfulness and wisdom are together. You must be able to observe three poisoning minds. You must cultivate the power of practice to observe without being swayed by greed and not reacting to angry feelings.
According to the arrow discourse, SN 36.6 Salatha Sutta:
Bhikkhus, it is like, for example, that a person is pierced by an arrow and then pierced again by a second arrow in succession.
So that person will suffer all the pain that comes from the two arrows.
Bhikkhus, when such an unlearned-dhamma man experiences painful feelings physically, he is anxious, heartbroken, grieved, beats his chest, howls, and goes mad. So, he suffers a double feeling.
That is, a physical feeling and a mental feeling.
As for the first arrow, it is true that we must accept the disease of the body that we have already received from birth, but we can avoid the disease of the mind, which is the second arrow.
All you have to do is notice whatever feeling it is just as a feeling. A feeling is not someone and it does not have any substance. It has nothing to do with you. When you have wisdom and mindfulness, you can remain calm and not get carried away by your feelings.
You must not crave the object you want, and you must not have the desire to reject and disappear the object you do not want. Cultivating the strength to accept things as they are without being obsessed with one's views is the practice.
Through constant observation, the power of mindfulness (Sati) and wisdom (panna) must be developed. Only the practice of Satipatthana (Vipassana) suggested by the Buddha is the only way to achieve liberation from all defilements.
May you cultivate your Sati continuously (Samma-Viriya)!
May you achieve the Samma-Sati through Satipatthāna (vipassana meditation)!
May all practice well and reach to Magga (道, the path of enlightenment) and Phala (果, the fruit of enlightenment)!
With Metta,
Ayyā Kosallā Vipassinī
Edited by Euna Bonovich
If you have any questions related to dhamma & meditation, please feel free to ask. You can reach Ayya Kosalla directly at Bhikkhuni.Kosalla@gmail.com.
법에 대한 질문이 있으신 분은 위의 이메일 주소로 질문을 남겨주세요.
위빠사나명상의 마음관찰에 대한 논문을 한글 원본으로 읽고 싶으신 분은 클릭해서 다운로드 받을 수 있습니다. (네이버에 PDF 첨부)
The Korean Dhamma Letter is here 담마레터.
Bhikkuni Kosalla Vipassini resides in Mahabodhi Meditation Vihara in Arizona, USA.
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Buddha Sāsanaṁ Ciraṁ Tiṭṭhatu!
May the Buddha’s teachings last a long time!
Bhavatu Sabba Sotiṁ ca Maṅgalaṁ ca!!
May everyone be led on the path of peace and blessing!!
Sādhu Sādhu Sādhu !