Who Seeks Excitement in Discontentedness is Not Freed From Discontentedness

Monks,

one who seeks excitement in form

seeks excitement in discontentedness...

One who seeks excitement in feeling

seeks excitement in discontentedness…

One who seeks excitement in perception

seeks excitement in discontentedness...

One who seeks excitement in volitional formations (choices/decisions)

seeks excitement in discontentedness…

One who seeks excitement in consciousness

seeks excitement in discontentedness…

One who seeks excitement in discontentedness,

I say, is not freed from discontentedness.

(Reference: SN 22.29)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how a Practitioner who seeks pleasant feelings (i.e. excitement) in The Five Aggregates or discontentedness is not Enlightened.

The Five Aggregates are what makes “a being, a being”. A living being will have all five aggregates, also known as “elements” or “collections”.

The Five Aggregates

Form: the physical body.

Feelings: results of experiences in the mind through The Six Sense Bases.

Perceptions: a belief or opinion based on how things seem.

Volitional Formations: choices or decisions that are made.

Consciousness: the mind.

It is when the mind “clings” or “holds on” to The Five Aggregates that the mind experiences continued discontentedness. Observing the impermanent nature of The Five Aggregates, a human being can “let go” no longer experiencing discontentedness due to “holding on” to The Five Aggregates experiencing constant rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

Due to clinging to The Five Aggregates and a being coming into existence, the mind will experience discontentedness.

All unEnlightened beings will experience discontentedness.

Discontentedness: Gotama Buddha describes three feelings as discontent. The goal of these Teachings is to eliminate discontentedness of mind providing the mind a permanent place to reside in Enlightenment.

• A pleasant feeling (happiness, excitement, elation, thrill, exhilaration, euphoria, etc.)

• A painful feeling (sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, guilt, shame, fear, stress, etc.)

• A feeling that is neither painful-nor-pleasant (boredom, loneliness, shyness, displeased, uncomfortable, unsatisfied, etc.)

As long as the mind continues to “hold on” to The Five Aggregates, it will not be able to experience Enlightenment. Eliminating any arising pleasant feelings associated with clinging to The Five Aggregates will bring the mind closer to Enlightenment.