..續本文上一頁 "What is the result of my life, the way I live my life

　　" Quite simply. Not as a judgement, saying: "There I go, getting angry again." - that kind of attitude is not reflective. Instead notice: "The way I speak - what”s the result of that

　　" "The way I consume the objects of the sense-world, whether it”s ideas in books or ham sandwiches: What is the result of that

　　" "What is the result of my sitting meditation

　　 What”s the effect on my mind and body, on the society around me

　　" These are things we can contemplate. It”s simple, but very important - to see what works and what doesn”t work.

　　It”s because we don”t understand that we make mistakes, so the trick is to make as few mistakes as possible - and not to make the same mistakes again and again. Yet sometimes we have this blindness, and we don”t see why we have suffering in our lives. Ignorance blinds us. So then what can we do

　　... Wherever there is suffering, or confusion we can begin to look at that pattern of our lives. If we look at this whole pattern, we can discover the causes of suffering, and begin to make intentions to not allow those causes to come up all the time.

　　Let”s say I”m a person who is always making wisecracks at people. I watch them cringe, I begin to notice that no one likes me, and I hate myself. So I reflect: "This kind of speech brings me remorse and regret, and brings other people suffering." And I see: "Ah, that”s the result. So then what can I do

　　" Now this is when it”s important to know the difference between remorse and guilt. Remorse is a healthy response to inappropriate action or speech, or thought; it”s a healthy response, because it”s telling me: "This is painful." But most of us probably make that into guilt: there is remorse, but also an inappropriate amount of self-flagellation; this is the unhealthy activity of guilt.

　　For me, it seems that guilt is a kind of cover-up of the pain; I numb the pain, covering it over with these thoughts of guilt: "Yes. You are rotten to the core, Viradhammo!". But this is self-view. What does it feel like when we just go to the pain

　　 If I say something which is unkind to someone, and then see them get hurt, I think: "Oh, I did it again!" - and there”s the jab.

　　This is why meditation is so important, because when we sit we get the results of our life. Sometimes it”s difficult to sit when there is suffering, because we want to get away from that suffering. If we actually sit and feel the pain, without judgement - really feel the physical and emotional feeling of that - we can contemplate: "This is the result of that; with this, there is that." We see dependent origination: that the origin of this feeling depends on a certain activity. If we really feel the pain, that registers in our minds in a way that is intuitive, in a way that is quite fundamental. We understand that when we do certain things we are going to suffer. We realise cause and effect.

　　So then what can we do

　　 Well, we can use skilful thinking rather than guilt thinking. We can say: "From now on, I”m going to try not to speak in those ways." We can make that intention; and that intention makes us more mindful. So, five days later when I say the same thing again, instead of thinking: "There you go again. You”re no good, you”re rotten to the core!" I can go back and examine: "What”s the result

　　" "It hurts, it really hurts!" I feel it. That pain can teach me: With the arising of this condition you get that condition, but when this condition isn”t there you won”t get that." If I go through that process again and again and again, with those habitual patterns of suffering, eventually I begin to see the arising of that unwholesome condition. Mindfulness is now established. Mindfulness is very powerful, it”s like recollection or remembering. It sees: "Ah,…

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