upekkha100 seems serious about getting rid of kama raga. That is a noble goal.
I am highlighting some of the key statements from the above posts and providing some suggestions:
“So the following is for those in that third camp who want to put Samma Vayama into practise in regards to reducing kama raga through will power(viriya)”.
That is a good resolve. However, it could be better if it is used with two other components.
– In order to get rid of a habit, it would help if one can see the bad consequences. For example, smoking can cause lung cancer.
– In order to see the bad consequences of kama raga, one should see the bad consequences of them. That is why I suggested the following section earlier:
Assāda, Ādīnava, Nissarana
– When one starts contemplating on those concepts, one will start seeing that what we normally consider to be “pleasures” have hidden dangers. Just like a fish cannot see the dangers in biting a tasty looking bait, normally humans cannot see the dangers in sense pleasures.
“I am content with bland food, just for sake of eating/sustenance and staying alive. I went from “live to eat” to “eat to live.”
That is a good sign. You may be starting to comprehend some of these aspects. In my case, my habit of having a alcoholic beverage at the end of the gradually went away, without me really “enforcing it”. But “enforcement” can and should be used to some extent too.
“Compared to the other sense pleasures, I can quite easily quit body pleasures and nose pleasures, cold turkey if need be. And now, I think I can do this for food as well, without missing it so much. But I can’t say the same for beautiful sights. And especially not for music”.
That is good too. Now you have narrowed down your weaknesses to just two.
“So for someone in my situation/with my cravings, what time-limit do you think I should set for music listening(5, 10, 20 minutes)?”
Yes. I think that is good plan.
So, basically if you carry out your plan with a firm determination, together with learning Dhamma, you will be able to succeed.
In the Sabbāsava Sutta, the Buddha listed seven steps to remove the āsavas or cravings:
- Removal by clear vision of the nature of this world. The more one understands Tilakkhana (especially one’s inability to maintain things to one’s satisfaction), less of “sheer effort” (or will power) is needed to overcome kama raga.
- Removal by the restrained use of the senses: not to over-indulge in the senses).
- Removal by good and frequent associations: for example, with good friends and good deeds. Here, good friends are not those who do “partying” and having a good time. They are those who live a simple, moral life, and pursue Dhamma.
- Removal by tolerance and patience. For example, even if one is tempted to steal because one is hungry, one should contemplate the consequences and bear the hunger.
- Removal by staying clear of “bad influences and environments”. One needs to avoid bad friends, bad locations for living (due to floods, bad neighbors, etc), avoiding unsuitable times to go out, etc.
- Removal by getting rid of certain things to lessen the burden on the mind. One needs to get rid of bad thoughts that come to mind, for example, for excessive sense pleasure, hate, etc. Focusing too much on making money or “collecting stuff” is actually a burden on the mind, since one has to worry about their safety.
- Removal by meditation and contemplation. When one understands the above points, it becomes apparent what to contemplate on.
Regarding the #1 above, I would also suggest looking into whether any of the 10 types of miccha ditthi are left.
Micchā Ditthi, Gandhabba, and Sōtapanna Stage