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Disenchantment from feelings?
Jeffrey
Veteran
in Philosophy
"A pleasant feeling is inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to ending, subject to vanishing, fading, ceasing. A painful feeling is also inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to ending, subject to vanishing, fading, ceasing. A neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling is also inconstant, fabricated, dependently co-arisen, subject to ending, subject to vanishing, fading, ceasing.Somebody posted this in an ongoing discussion recently. How does one disenchant from pleasure and pain? If I feel pleasure I feel so happy it is like I have been starving and then I gorge myself on the pleasure. So are there any keys to disenchanting? Likewise with pain it is so painful that I cannot help but wish to myself over and over that it will go away.
"Seeing this, an instructed disciple of the noble ones grows disenchanted with pleasant feeling, disenchanted with painful feeling, disenchanted with neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling. Disenchanted, he grows dispassionate. From dispassion, he is released. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' "
I suspect it is like meditation where you return again and again to "ground zero" of accepting all feelings.
1
Comments
The feelings themselves are really energized by our habituated responses to them. Becoming a meditative observer of them, where one allows them to come and go without actively playing with them {clutching on to them or pushing them away) is simply stepping outside of your identities dream of it's own significance. Easy to talk about right up until we start becoming aware that to continue further with such a practice, promises no easy return to that former comforting dream.
Yeah, I think you really answered your own question.
"Seeing this", seeing feelings are impermanent, that will lead to disenchantment of feelings.
So on a coarse level the reflection would be, that when you have a feeling you are stuggling with (by being attached to it or by wanting it to go away), think: "this won't last". The more deeply you really feel and understand that it is this way and will always be this way, the more you can let go. That's for all feelings, including the neutral ones.
Also the quote says understanding that feelings depend on things. That pleasant feelings depend on pleasant objects, for example. That tasting nice food depends on having the food, on being able to eat it, on having the money to buy it, on being able to taste it. If you see things like this you will understand that the conditions for certain feelings will not always be there. So that will lead to less desire for those feelings. Letting your happiness depend on feelings is like building a house on loose sand. Who would do that?
The unpleasant feelings also depend on things. Things not in your control, like the body being sick or hurt. If you see that things are not in your control, why fight the feeling?
(Btw may be useful for some to point out that "feelings" in a Buddhist context are not emotions, but all pleasant, unpleasant and neutral experiences we have with the senses.)
Pleasurable and painful states cannot sustain themselves for long. Only neutral states can. Even then neutral states are also subject to change and trying to hold on to them when they do also causes dukkha.
Bottom line- feelings change due to causes and conditions. They are unreliable (uncertain/not a sure thing). Clinging to them is dukkha. Keep seeing this over and over again until the truth is seen.
Its through directly seeing the three marks or the emptiness/dependent arising of phenomena/appearances that bring about a dispassion, a setting down, a letting go. Which leads to freedom and peace.
We must see how everything is constructed, hence suffering. Once this touches the heart it is very obvious what needs to be done, it isn't forced upon via vows, or some kind of theory it is just set down. And then one feels release, one doesn't grasp at release either because then we're at the whole issue of constructing stress again haha.
So true dispassion and letting go isn't forced but arises dependent upon seeing the dharma/having direct insight into the nature of reality.
The whole idea is to stop adding a layer of interpretations and preferences on top of the actual experience.
It’s not even “accepting” imho. Just not putting any label on it. Just the pain; just the pleasure.
Tozan said, “Why don’t you go to the place where there is no cold or heat?”
The monk said, “What is the place where there is no cold or heat?”
Tozan said, “When it’s cold, the cold kills you; when it’s hot, the heat kills you.”
This is not advice to “accept” your situation, as some commentators have suggested, but a direct expression of authentic practice and enlightenment. Master Tozan is not saying, “When cold, shiver; when hot, sweat,” nor is he saying, “When cold, put on a sweater; when hot, use a fan.” In the state of authentic practice and enlightenment, the cold kills you, and there is only cold in the whole universe. The heat kills you, and there is only heat in the whole universe. The fragrance of incense kills you, and there is only the fragrance of incense in the whole universe. The sound of the bell kills you, and there is only “boooong” in the whole universe…
~The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing, Ted Biringer"
In the Malunkyaputta Sutta, the Buddha says: I think the above is also expressed another way, in the Kalaka Sutta:
Halfway through, the thunder started to sound.. Someone asked a question, he said "can you hear the thunder?" *thunder claps* "that is it! that is the answer from Buddha (laughter)" And five more questions came - what is enlightened person, who can become enlightened, how to practice and become enlightened, all dharmas return to one one returns to what?, etc.
And his answer to each question was, "did you hear the thunder?"
Then it started to rain, it got so loud that he stopped speaking and we just sat there. The rain itself becomes the dharma talk... so everyone sat there in meditation... the zen master sat very still. Just the sound of dripping rain filling the whole universe... the sound enjoying and hearing itself... that's Buddha, clear and blissful.
Then after 20 minutes he began to speak. He said you don't need to remember anything I said... the rain is the best dharma talk. So the talk ended, 15 minutes early.
" Non duality means to stay with whatever arises so that there is no subject and no object. "
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
'In the seen will be merely what is seen; in the heard will be merely what is heard; in the sensed will be merely what is sensed; in the cognized will be merely what is cognized.'
Bahiya Sutta
Transcendental dependent origination explains the chain of cause and effect leading to disenchantment. So what do you do then? Gain skill in concentration to allow knowledge and vision of things as they really are to arise.