Reply To: On “Introduction -2 – The Three Categories of Suffering”

#53155
pathfinder
Participant

I see, we need to look at the previously unheard teachings of the Buddha. 

I am abit confused with my own experience. I find that my attachment to sensual pleasures have decreased over time, eg craving food, watching shows. However, the main bulk of my contemplation is experiential – eg what I can see and realise. Some examples are

  • Observing that the mind is stressed when desiring something (it doesnt take a Buddha to discover this, just some keen observation of the mind)
  • Contemplating that pleasure is brought about when there is relief from the stressed mind, but the stressed mind comes first – the external world does not actually bring us pleasure but it is created from our wanting minds (this can be explained with many analogies as well and by experience, eg pudding does not taste good after 100 plates but it tastes good if you have been staring at it for a while)
  • That things are not to our liking, they are created by causes, our expectation or liking is not a cause, we cannot mantain them to our liking (mundane anicca)
  • We only experience nice feelings for a very short moment (like a bubble pop) and then we move on to look for the next one
  • When I suffer, the main reason is because I am attached to something. Eg when I get scolded, I feel bad because I am attached to my ego and receiving praises – if not for these 2 I would not feel anything.
  • Contemplating the amount of effort I take to do things, eg realising that I need to find ways to create time to watch shows, even chewing is effort, or constantly opening eyes to watch shows is tiring (mundane sankhara dukkha)
  • Contemplating the effort required to mantain things, eg if I buy a nice shirt, then I would have to take care of it, wash it in special conditions (mundane sankhara dukkha)
  • Contemplating the future suffering with unexpected change, eg if the shirt gets destroyed (mundane viparinama dukkha)
  • Contemplating that the more I satisfy cravings, the stronger the cravings (paticca samuppada, but you just need a basic understanding of habits and psychology to get this as well)

These things are quite effective in reducing the craving at that moment, and also I have felt that my attachement to sensual pleasures have generally reduced.

Since these are “mundane” contemplations (they don’t involve kamma, rebirth, technically people can figure these out without a Buddha), does it mean that it is not towards Nibbana, and that my reduced kama raga is not towards Nibbana as well?

I need to clarify that at this point, I do believe in the concepts of rebirth, and how attaching to things contribute to rebirth (paticca samuppada), but they are not a bulk of my contemplation.