Citta Bhavana

Hi, do you refer to AN1.51?

Bodhi translates:

“Luminous, bhikkhus, is this mind, but it is defiled by adventitious
defilements. The uninstructed worldling does not understand
this as it really is; therefore I say that for the uninstructed
worldling there is no development of the mind.”

Thanissaro translates:

“Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn’t discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind.”

Siebe

Embodied is referring to the post: “Citta, Manō, Viññāna – Stages of a Thought“, which is an advanced post.

Here is #16 from that post:

Aṅguttara Nikāya 1; Accha­rā­saṅghā­ta­vagga; Sutta #51 is a very short sutta. Here is the complete sutta: “Pabhassa­ra­midaṃ, bhikkhave, cittaṃ. Tañca kho āgantukehi upakkilesehi upakkiliṭṭhaṃ. Taṃ assutavā puthujjano yathābhūtaṃ nappajānāti. Tasmā ‘assutavato puthujjanassa cittabhāvanā natthī’ti vadāmī”ti.

Translated: “Bhikkhus, a (pure) citta has pabhassara nature. That citta is contaminated by defilements (keles or klesha). A normal human who has not heard my Dhamma (assutavā puthujjano) is not aware of this true nature. I do not recommend citta bhāvana to them“.

The citta bhavana referred to here is the same as anywhere else: It is always the Anapanasati/Satipattahana. One needs to be mindful always, and cultivate good thoughts that come to the mind and reject bad thoughts.

That becomes really effective only when one starts comprehending Tilakkhana. Anyone who has not, is an assutavā puthujjano. Then they do it at the mundane level. One who is doing “breath meditation” is even below that, because that does absolutely nothing to purify the mind.

I remember sutta’s who compare purifying mind with purifying gold. Pure gold in itself has certain chararteristics, it shines, it can be processed in jewelry, it is flexible, but adventitious defilements hinder that those qualities become manifest.

The same seems to be the case with purifying mind. The pabhassara nature of mind is not created during purification it only becomes more and more experiencable because the influence of defilements get less and less. Therefor mind also becomes more flexible, better manageable, more peaceful, less heated etc.

If one does not know that mind has this peaceful and luminous nature one will probably start a wrong search for happiness. One does not see that the defilements are the real cause for the suffering.

What do you think, does this make sense?

Siebe