STAGE II: CULTIVATION OF GOOD THOUGHTS
AWARENESS OF THE REALITIES OF LIFE
The Logic of this Reflection
1. Instability (anicca)
- There are no entities in the world
- There are only activities (sankhara)
- Every activity has a beginning, an end, with change in between
- Every activity is dependent on conditions
- When conditions are present they begin and continue
- The absence of one condition stops the activity
- All apparent entities are mental constructs
- All that I call mine or my-self are such mental constructs (sankhara)
- Mental constructs are of two kinds: subjective and objective
- The subjective construct is the “self”
- The objective constructs are the “world” and “things” in it
- All that we find are subjective and objective activities
- The construction may be mental or physical
- Such a construct is dependent on conditions
- Every construct that is dependent on conditions is to change, destruction, and separation.
- When the conditions change, separate, or are destroyed, the construct also changes, separates or is destroyed
All constructs are unstable (sabbe sankhara anicca)
2. Discomfort (dukkha)
- All constructs that I call mine or myself are unstable.
- What is unstable is insecure
- What is insecure is unpleasant and uncomfortable
All constructs are uncomfortable (sabbe sankhara dukkha)
3. Impersonality (anatta)
- What is uncomfortable is not as I wish.
- If it is not as I wish, it is not under my power.
- If it is not under my power, it is not mine.
- Whatever is not mine cannot be me, or a part of me.
- Whatever cannot be me, or a part of me, cannot be my “self”.
- Whatever is not me, or mine, or my “self” is impersonal.
- All experience is impersonal (sabbe dhamma anatta)
- What is impersonal cannot be personal.
- What cannot be personal should not be personalized.
- If what cannot be personal has been personalized
- Grief, lamentation, pain, distress, and depression follows
- To solve this problem one should depersonalize
All constructs when depersonalized, cease to be uncomfortable.