..續本文上一頁ound it — namely, in the various aspects of the khandhas when they behave in adverse ways. We have to be alert to these things. All that”s needed is for the mind not to be alert, or for it to be deluded by these things, and it will create stress and pain for itself without ceasing. Pain will have to come pouring in to overwhelm it. Even though the body may be pained simply in accordance with its own affairs, in accordance with the principles of nature, the mind will still grab hold of it to cause pain for itself, to burn itself, if it hasn”t investigated to see through these things.

　　If the mind has mindfulness constantly governing and guarding it, then whatever damage arises will be minor, because it arises in a single spot — within the mind — and mindfulness is there at the same spot, alert to the fact that this is arising, that is arising, good or evil is arising within. Discernment is what unravels, contemplates, investigates, and remedies the different preoccupations arising in the mind. Things then begin to calm down. But if mindfulness is lacking, things begin to get drawn out. Even though thought-formations may arise and vanish, one after another, countless times, sañña — labels and interpretations — don”t vanish. They connect things into long stretches. Stress and pain will then have to connect into long stretches and gather into the heart.

　　The heart is what then reaps all this suffering by itself because of the acts (kamma) that sañña and sankhara fashion. The heart is the primary vessel for receiving both pleasure and pain — and for the most part it receives pain. If it lacks mindfulness and discernment, it receives only fakes and scraps. Rubbish. Things toxic and dangerous. But if it”s mindful and discerning, it can pick and choose. Whatever isn”t good, it picks out and throws away, leaving only the things of substance and worth within the heart. The heart is cooled, but not with water. It feels pleasure, but not because of external things. It”s cool from the Dhamma. It feels pleasure in the Dhamma — and the reason is because mindfulness and discernment are looking after it.

　　To attend to other things is not as difficult as attending to the heart. All the burdens of the world converge at the heart, and so to remove the things that have long been buried within us is very difficult work. We may even become discouraged because we see almost no results when we first begin. This is because the mind is still drifting while we work. It doesn”t really focus on taking its work seriously, and so results don”t appear as they should. This makes us discouraged, weak, and dejected. We give up, thinking, ”It”d be better to stop, because we”re not getting anywhere” — even though once we have stopped it”s not any better, except that the mind has a better chance of filling itself with evil after we”ve stopped striving toward the good.

　　The assumption that says ”better” is the work of the defilements, which are all deceivers, tricking us into being discouraged and weak. Actually, even while we are striving, things aren”t yet getting good, even though we are practically dying to make them good. Our heart is ready to burst because of the effort — so how can things become good once we stop

　　 If, as we think, things were to get good once we stop, then no one should have to do work of any sort any more. Once we stop, everything of every sort would become good on its own! Both within and without, things would have to be good. We won”t have to do much work. It”s better to stop.

　　The Dhamma isn”t like the defilements. The defilements say, ”It”s better to stop.” It”s better, all right — better for the sake of defilement, not for the sake of the Dhamma. The Dhamma is something with which we have to keep persevering unti…

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