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Protecting the Six Sense Organs, Crossing the Waves of the Mind
The body and the mind are likened to a deep ocean with undercurrents, sea monsters, and storms. If we do not practice mindfulness and the precepts to hold the steering oar firmly, we can easily be drowned by three great waves rising from the ocean of the mind:
- The wave of doubt: Doubts about our beloved ones, our teacher, the Dharma door, and the Sangha make us lose our happiness and drift in suffering.
- The wave of anger: Small irritations, if not recognized and transformed but instead repressed (refoulement), will create a violent explosion later on (le retour du refoulé).
- The wave of craving: Desires for sensual pleasures, fame, or material possessions cause us to lose our peace and prevent us from enjoying the joys of the present moment.
The core principle of practice is guarding the six senses by monitoring the types of nutriments entering the territory of body and mind:
- Sensory impressions: Everything that the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind bring into the body (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and mental objects).
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Consciousness as food: The nutriments that our consciousness consumes daily through television programs, magazines, or the content of conversations.
To practice is to have mindfulness to know whether we are nourishing our consciousness with healthy or toxic nutriments. Practice sessions such as chanting, sitting meditation, and walking meditation must truly be “meditation joy as food,” bringing joy and nourishment to body and mind, rather than being performed like a machine or a parrot.
During practice, when tired, we should only focus on nourishing ourselves with deep and slow in-breaths and out-breaths; only when we are fresh and sharp should we use the sword of understanding to look deeply and cut through the block of ignorance. By taking refuge in the Sangha and cultivating powerful mindfulness, the practitioner will naturally no longer feel attracted to unwholesome cultural products or temptations to violate the precepts, thereby protecting their life and their spiritual practice.
