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Learning meaning of restraining?
Jeffrey
Veteran
The context or touchpoint is a sutra of concern to me.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.than.html
"[2] And what are the fermentations to be abandoned by restraining? There is the case where a monk, reflecting appropriately, dwells restrained with the restraint of the eye-faculty. The fermentations, vexation, or fever that would arise if he were to dwell unrestrained with the restraint of the eye-faculty do not arise for him when he dwells restrained with the restraint of the eye-faculty.Is the appropriate reflection intention to avoid harm to self and others? Or is it more a centering? I am also curious about the meaning of: fermentation, vexation, and fever.
Reflecting appropriately, he dwells restrained with the restraint of the ear-faculty...
Reflecting appropriately, he dwells restrained with the restraint of the nose-faculty...
Reflecting appropriately, he dwells restrained with the restraint of the tongue-faculty...
Reflecting appropriately, he dwells restrained with the restraint of the body-faculty...
Reflecting appropriately, he dwells restrained with the restraint of the intellect-faculty. The fermentations, vexation, or fever that would arise if he were to dwell unrestrained with the restraint of the intellect-faculty do not arise for him when he dwells restrained with the restraint of the intellect-faculty. These are called the fermentations to be abandoned by restraining.
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With restraint, these feelings will not arise and are gradually abandoned when practicing restraint, as the very last part of the quotes suggests.
As the sutta seems to be about self/not-self, I think the context and the way I would interpret this is that the restraint is one about attachment and ego.
When you fix your mind at the bare awareness of the experience, there is no chance for the mind to “run away” with the experience and fall into liking or disliking of it, or into daydreaming or imagining about it… So when there is seeing, there is only seeing. And when liking, disliking, or wandering would arise, you simply focus your attention on this and they will also not develop further.
So to restrain here means to keep your mind at the reality of the experience; that is, seeing or hearing or thinking or… When there is seeing, you know there's seeing; when you're walking, you know you're walking etc. By keeping your mind with the reality of the present moment, there is less chance for the defilements to arise. And when they arise, you will be able to catch them...
The way to do this is by practicing insight (vipassana) meditation. There are different techniques to do this. I try to practice the teachings of Mahasi Sayadaw, via the Venerable Yuttadhammo, who has a youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/yuttadhammo/videos?view=pl
fermentation means
like boiling with anger, we talk to ourselves about the situation getting more and more angry.
like lust, imagining pictures of sex... getting more and more horny,..
dwell restraint means observing what is happening without participating.
this suta would go well with this video:
Sounds kinda bleak. If liking and disliking are the present moment then you see that. Thanks for the recommendations. When my bjork, singer, tracks end I will open to your videos.
I think you have meditated and seen this for yourself and found the present moment. Remarkably my mind is settling. Blessings from your lineage.
The speakers look peaceful and bright eyed. The man looks a lot like my cousin. There is something wrong with my computers I can't hear them, but I can make out the topics.
to the deepest levels of the mind.
to see what is truly happening.
as long as we are in the level of stories and liking and disliking, these are like the icing on the sundae, what we are trying to do is to get to the peanuts at the bottom of the cup.
then things become a bit more interesting.
i suggest reading about Carl Jung and his stories, he could phrase and describe things in very interesting ways.
My mind let go of the puzzlement after my body let go of stress. I have a thought 'it doesn't matter' and that also produces puzzlement. And body stress.
etc...
I felt energy in my sacral chakra and it seemed so consuming as if it were directing my whole being but then I saw that it was puzzlement and thinking that my body feel alive and aroused. And then I had the thought that that was wrong and my body felt bad.
The question is how to apply this in rapid fire life situations?
@sofa captures it well - if the senses are restraining then the mind cannot be unrestrained in their presence otherwise it leads to in imbalance and the mind is subject to the restraint of the senses - this can only lead to fermentation etc as the mind is caught / restrained in the illusion of the senses.
Reflecting appropriately is an aware state of mind present in the moment.
Restrained mind is tougher... for me it is a metaphor to counteract the restraint of the senses... it is not the restraint of the mind, but rather 'dwelling restrained' - I take that as not attaching to the restraint but rather dwelling in an aware state restrained against the illusion of the senses - it is a counterweight to the restraint of the senses that also cuonterweighs the restraint of the 'observer position' - a way to cancel the two out to reveal .... ..... ..... (fill in the gaps!!)
It seems to me to be an explanation of how to practice experiencing the natural moment by reflecting appropriately on the true nature of all of your body's senses.