Without Excitement The Three Underlying Tendencies Are Abandoned

Monks, dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Dependent on the ear and sounds, ear-consciousness arises, the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Dependent on the nose and odors, nose-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Dependent on the tongue and flavors, tongue-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Dependent on the body and physical objects, body-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Dependent on the mind and mental objects, mind-consciousness arises, the meeting of the three is contact; with contact as condition there arises [a feeling] felt as pleasant or painful or neither painful-nor-pleasant.

When one is touched by a pleasant feeling, if one does not excite in it, welcome it, and remain holding to it, then the underlying tendency to crave does not lie within one.

When one is touched by a painful feeling, if one does not sorrow, grieve and have displeasure, does not weep beating one’s breast and become distraught, then the underlying tendency to aversion does not lie within one.

When one is touched by a neither painful-nor-pleasant feeling, if one understands as it actually is, the cause, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in regard to that feeling, then the underlying tendency to ignorance (unknowing of true reality) does not lie within one.

Monks, that one shall here and now make an end of discontentedness by abandoning the underlying tendency to crave for pleasant feelings, by abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feelings, by destroying the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither painful-nor-pleasant feelings; by abandoning ignorance and arousing true wisdom - this is possible.

(Reference: SN 12.43)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how a Practitioner needs to eliminate craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) in order to eliminate discontentedness.

The Buddha shares how The Six Internal Sense Bases and The Six External Sense Bases with contact as condition arises the consciousness of the object (i.e. awareness of the object).

When a Practitioner experiences pleasant feelings arise due to eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, or mind-consciousness, “if one does not excite in it, welcome it, and remain holding to it, then the underlying tendency to crave does not lie within one”. This means that if the Practitioner does not experience excitement, welcome the contact, remaining holding on to it, then there is not craving/desire/attachment in the mind.

When a Practitioner experiences painful feelings arise due to eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, or mind-consciousness, “if one does not sorrow, grieve and have displeasure, does not weep beating one's breast and become distraught, then the underlying tendency to aversion does not lie within one”. This means that if the Practitioner does not experience sorrow, grief, displeasure, anger, sadness, frustration, irritation, annoyance, etc., then there is no craving/desire/attachment in the mind.

When a Practitioner experiences neither painful-nor-pleasant feelings arise due to eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, or mind-consciousness, “if one understands as it actually is the cause, the disappearance, the gratification, the danger, and the escape in regard to that feeling, then the underlying tendency to ignorance (unknowing of true reality) does not lie within one”. This means that if the Practitioner does not experience boredom, loneliness, shyness, displeasure, discomfort, dissatisfaction, etc., then there is no craving/desire/attachment in the mind.

Cause: craving/desire/attachment

Disappearance: The Universal Truth of Impermanence

Gratification: The unEnlightened mind’s fetter/taint/pollution of “sensual desire”

Danger: The Universal Truth of Discontentedness

Escape: The Eight Fold Path

Eliminating the cravings/desires/attachments that are causing the pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant through learning, reflecting, and practicing The Eight Fold Path will then eliminate the mind experiencing discontentedness. The mind can be liberated from all discontentedness.

1.) Eyes come in contact with a form, arising awareness of the form is eye-consciousness.

2.) Ears come in contact with a sound, arising awareness of the sound is ear-consciousness.

3.) Nose comes in contact with an odor, arising awareness of the odor is nose-consciousness.

4.) Tongue comes in contact with a flavor, arising awareness of the flavor is tongue-consciousness.

5.) Body comes in contact with a physical object, arising awareness of the physical object is body-consciousness.

6.) Mind comes in contact with a mental object, arising awareness of the mental object is mind-consciousness.

It is through the mind developing the deep understanding of how consciousness (i.e. awareness) of objects experienced through contact arises pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant that the mind can then apply Right Effort “cut off and let go” of the arising discontentedness. This is how a Practitioner can then eliminate 100% of all discontentedness.

Learning, reflecting, and practicing The Four Foundations of Mindfulness will allow a Practitioner to develop their awareness of the arising discontentedness sooner and sooner so that the mind is not affected by the arising discontentedness.

Without the understanding of The Six Sense Bases and how the unEnlightened mind longs, yearns, and chases after pleasant feelings through The Six Sense Bases, a Practitioner would be unable to attain Enlightenment. Without the understanding and practice of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, a Practitioner would be unable to attain Enlightenment.

Detailed explanation of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness is available in this same book series found in Chapter 5 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

The Buddha finishes this Teaching ensuring Students understand that with the elimination of craving, anger (aversion), and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), it would be possible to eliminate discontentedness. That by abandoning craving, anger (aversion), and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) a Practitioner will have eliminated discontentedness and attains Enlightenment. He shares that in the following paragraph.

“Monks, that one shall here and now make an end of discontentedness by abandoning the underlying tendency to crave for pleasant feelings, by abolishing the underlying tendency to aversion towards painful feelings, by destroying the underlying tendency to ignorance in regard to neither painful-nor-pleasant feelings by abandoning ignorance and arousing true wisdom - this is possible”.

Detailed explanation of a complementary Teaching is available in this same book found in Chapter 6.