II) Elimination (Pahāna)
Elimination is the removal of bad thoughts that have already arisen in the mind. If after the practice of prevention as above, any emotional excitement remains in the mind, it is due to carrying a memory of something that happened in the past, which produces the emotional excitement. This is called carrying a “memory image.” The emotional excitement can be removed by withdrawing our attention away from this memory image.
In order to do so we may begin to focus our mind on a different image, which is the opposite of the present image. For example if the original image was the image of an enemy, we can focus our attention on the image of a friend. If that is difficult we can make a telephone call to that friend and speak to the friend. If a telephone is not available, we can write a letter to the friend, even if we may not mail it. If the friend is available close by, we can even visit the friend and speak to the friend. This is the kind of help a counsellor can give to a disturbed client.
This is analogous to watching a television program and upon seeing unwholesome content appearing, one changes the television channel to another channel with more wholesome content.
The Vitakka-santhana Sutta of the Majjimanikaya, which was given in translation in the book on Level I meditation shows five methods of dealing with this problem. Reference to this passage may be helpful at this stage. Let us now refer to the instructions given by the Buddha about elimination.
“Herein a Bhikkhu does not accept a sensual thought, a malign thought, or cruel thought that has arisen from memory, but rejects it, expels it, makes an end of it, drives it out of renewed occurrence. One does not admit evil, unprofitable states of mind that arise from time to time, from memory, but rejects them, expels them, makes an end of them, and drives them out of renewed occurrence.”
If one practices the above two exercises – Prevention (samvara), Elimination (pahāna) conscientiously, it is possible that at least the first Ecstasy (jhāna) can be reached yet this purity of mind is only temporary. It can be polluted, and therefore it is unstable. It is only by practicing the next two exercises Cultivation (bhāvanā), and Maintenance (anurakkhana) that it can be brought to the point that it can never be polluted.
The sequence of events that lead to Ecstasy (jhāna):
1. When one practices conscientiously (appamattassa viharatō)
2. One begins to experience a feeling of joy (pāmujjaŋ jāyati)
3. Joy develops into rapture (pāmuditassa pīti jāyati)
4. When mentally rapturous, the body relaxes (pīti manassa kāyaŋ passambhati)
5. The relaxed body feels comfortable (passaddha kāyo sukhaŋ vēdiyati)
6. When the body is comfortable the mind is in equilibrium (sukhino cittaŋ samādhiyati). This is ecstasy (jhāna).
7. When the mind is in equilibrium, Dhamma appears. (samāhite citte dhammaŋ pātubhavo) This means, the mind begins to understand how things come to be (samāhite cite yathabhutan pajanati). Equilibrium brings about introspection This is to focus on how one experiences, instead of on what one experiences. This is a paradigm shift from existence to experience. In other words, the mind becomes aware of the principle of “determinism” (paticca samuppada).