Day 4 - Das Lakshan
Amit
Contentment – UTTAM SHAUCH
External View: Be content with the material gains that you have accomplished thus far. Contrary to popular belief, striving for greater material wealth and pleasure will not lead to
happiness. Desire for more is a sign that we do not have all that we want. Reducing this desire and being content with what we have leads to satisfaction. Accumulating material objects merely fuels the fire of desire.
Internal View: Contentment or happiness, derived from material objects, is only perceived to be so by a Soul in a state of false belief. The fact is that material objects do not have a
quality of happiness and therefore happiness cannot be obtained from them. The perception of “enjoying” material objects is only a temporary perception. This perception rewards the Soul with only misery and nothing else. Real happiness comes from
within, as it is the Soul that possesses the quality of happiness.
About Jain Diaries
Jain Diaries is a blog by YJA about Peace, Compassion, and having a good time. Written and edited by youth just like you. Enjoy!
“The perception of “enjoying” material objects is only a temporary perception. This perception rewards the Soul with only misery and nothing else. Real happiness comes from within, as it is the Soul that possesses the quality of happiness.”
This is an incredibly poignant statement. When I was at the ten day silent Vipassana mediation retreat, there was no chanting or prayer or scriptures. All we did was sharpen the mind through silence and observe the dynamic between mind and body.
Eventually, by the 4th day b/c your mind gets so still, you get that first arises a thought of something you like or dislike, then the image of that person,place, thing, smell - the object of that like or dislike pops in the mind. However, upon taking a closer look, there’s something else that arises - b/w the thought and the image, there’s a sensation that arises on the body.
As you’re sitting from 4a till about 9p, you get to realizing that it’s not objects in the outside world at all that are the source of feeling good or feeling bad, it’s actually our fluctuation between “craving” and “aversion” to the sensations that arise through the thought that leaves us with the notion of feeling happy or sad/afraid/angry, etc.
In the beginning I found myself being attached to those sensations that felt good and being averse to those sensations that didn’t feel good - sensations of pain, heat, pressure from sitting still for so long…by the end, I was able to gain some facility around being even-balanced as those sensations came up - still A LONG WAY TO GO
And through this process of ten days, one is left with the experience of having shed pounds and pounds of baggage - leaving one feeling so light and free.
If anyone’s interested finding out more information, check out www.dhamma.org. All the room/board and meals are provided at no charge and is all donation run, so after 10 days whatever one feels moved to give, one can give.