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Reprogramming Our Mind
Mental formations are the “drops of water” that make up the mind’s river, and training the mind (bhāvanā) brings happiness while neglecting it brings suffering (Aṅguttara Nikāya). The sound of the bell gives rise to a sequence of mental formations—
- contact (sparśa)
- attention (manaskara, advertence)
- mindfulness (aware of breathing and sound)
- concentration
- resolution (adhimoksha)
-
insight (prajñā)
—all cultivated through habit so that each cell in body and mind “practices appropriate attention” automatically. Five universal formations interoperate like neurons: contact, attention, feeling, perception, and volition.
Suffering and happiness are inseparable like mud and lotus: practitioners don’t suppress negative formations (doubt, temptation, fear, anger, despair—“Mara”) but recognize and embrace them with mindfulness and concentration, transforming wrong perceptions (“this is only an image”) into insight and compassion. Mindfulness in daily acts—opening a tap, brushing teeth, walking—awakens us (“to be alive is a miracle”) and restores quality of life. Collective sitting and walking meditation create the time and support to resist busy “automatic pilot” living, bringing peace, compassion, and true happiness.
