Categories: Maintaining Mindfulness
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Today, we continue our shared journey of exploring the spiritual life in a practical way, focusing on the study of the mind. We consistently guide you on how to undertake this study and what you will experience along the way. Through this exploration of practical Buddhism, many of you have already gained a significant understanding of your own minds. And there is a vast potential to deepen this understanding through your continued practice.
This progress is possible only because of your interest and your commitment to being practical. Without this eagerness, this journey of self-discovery would not be possible. As you walk this path, one of the greatest gifts anyone can receive is what we call mental freedom. To understand this, reflect on the moments when you practice mindfulness and your thoughts begin to fade. Think about those times when the stream of thoughts lessens. Don’t you feel an incredible sense of relief?
Whether you are practicing a concentration meditation, like the ‘Third Eye’ or ‘Path to the Brahma Worlds’ programs we teach, or any other meditation method you’ve learned from another teacher or practice independently, you may have noticed this. There are moments when your thoughts decrease to a countable number ten, eight, seven, six, maybe just one or two.
In those moments, notice how profound your mental freedom is. See how much peace you feel simply because your thoughts have subsided. This helps us realize something fundamental: we live under pressure and without happiness when our minds are agitated and our thoughts are running wild.
The Fleeting Happiness of a Worldly Life
Think about your own life. During hectic times at your job, managing household chores with your children, dealing with your spouse’s needs, or organizing an event notice how the increase in thoughts completely robs you of your mental freedom. Simply put, your busyness often destroys your inner peace.
If you are a student facing a critical exam, a milestone test that will determine your future, observe how the pressure strips away your happiness and mental freedom.
On the other hand, let’s look at another aspect. When the people you love most are near, you feel a great sense of comfort and joy. This could be your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, or your family. You experience happiness in their presence. However, this happiness is not constant. There are times when it disappears.
If these beloved people were to leave your life, perhaps through a natural or unnatural event, a car accident, or an illness leading to their death, what happens then? When you remember the comfort they brought, a comfort you can no longer receive, your inner peace, your mental freedom, and your happiness vanish. This pain arises because we were attached. With these examples, you can begin to see that a certain bondage exists within us. And through mindfulness, you can understand that this bondage exists within your mind.
Consider this: if your mind becomes attached to something, that very thing will bring you both happiness and sorrow. This is an undeniable law of the universe, a timeless truth the Buddha pointed out to us. If we cling to anything, we are guaranteed to experience more suffering from it than happiness. It is its nature. One day, even at the moment of death, we will have to face this reality.
The Weight of a Cluttered Mind
Why does all this happen? As I mentioned, our mind becomes attached, or to put it simply, it ‘clings’ to things. This clinging is what robs us of our mental freedom. Think about how busy you are. Amidst this busyness, you still make time for concentration practices or for insight meditation through mindfulness. We teach you to integrate these practices into your daily life because mindfulness is something you can do at any moment.
When you are overwhelmed by your busy schedule, you experience intense mental pressure. This pressure can lead to physical symptoms: severe headaches, migraines, sleepless nights, and an inability to eat properly. You find yourself in a difficult situation, and this difficulty makes your mind even more confused and agitated.
When you are in this state of stress perhaps while organizing a meeting or dealing with family problems you find relief only after the task is complete. For example, if you have to give a speech to a large audience, the feeling of peace and happiness only comes *after* you have finished speaking. Reflect on this, haven’t you experienced this? Until the task is done, that peace remains out of reach.
The Buddha’s Way: Finding Joy in the Process
However, the method the Buddha taught us through mindfulness through the practice known as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness or Satipatthana is different. If you follow this path, which is contained within all the teachings of the Tripitaka, you can experience the happiness you would normally feel at the end of a task right from the very beginning. This practice is about Sati Sampajañña, or mindfulness with clear comprehension.
Imagine that speech again. Instead of enduring stress until it’s over, the Buddha’s method teaches you how to cultivate happiness from the moment you are asked to speak. It’s a way to avoid mental torment, because that stress is itself a form of defilement, known in Buddhism as a kilesa. The Buddha taught us how to abandon this defilement.
With this method, you can maintain a continuous state of happiness from preparing the speech, to walking up to the audience, to delivering the talk, and even to receiving applause and praise afterward. You can go through the entire process without mental pressure. You can find joy in the preparation itself, not just the final outcome. It’s not some strange, artificial happiness. Normally, preparing for a talk involves stress: you have to research topics, organize notes, and worry. But this method changes that.
Think of it like an expectant mother. She doesn’t wait until the baby is born to be happy. She is joyful from the moment she receives the news, throughout the pregnancy as the child grows within her, at the birth, and as the child grows up. This is the kind of continuous, embracing joy that the Buddha pointed out.
This is what you should follow. It means accepting things joyfully, and this applies not only to things you like but also to things you dislike. If you are faced with an unpleasant task that threatens your mental freedom, you can apply this practice.
A Practical Technique: Transforming Negativity into Peace
Let me explain how. If you face constant problems in your family if your spouse is always shouting at you, or if your boss is always criticizing you and this causes you immense stress, face it with mindfulness. You can follow this specific method.
Being yelled at is, of course, a problem. But in that moment, look at your own mind. Instead of focusing on the scolding, try something different. What if that person were praising you instead? Imagine it. If your boss, who always finds fault, started complimenting you every day. If your spouse, who always argues, started speaking kindly and admiring you. How happy would you feel? Just imagine this scenario, like a daydream.
Think to yourself, “It’s true, I would be so happy if my spouse spoke well of me.” In that moment of being scolded, consciously create that feeling of happiness in your mind. As your boss is reprimanding you, mentally transform their words into praise. When you do this, the stress in your mind begins to dissolve.
The scolding is still happening externally, but by mindfully reframing it, you can visualize what it would feel like if they were speaking words of kindness. By doing this, the stress, the pressure that can lead to migraines and other mental illnesses, will start to decrease.
This is a practical technique to protect your mental freedom. While you are creating this mental image, also maintain mindfulness and watch your mind. After some time, with practice, you will find that their scolding no longer affects you so deeply. As some boys in the village might say, it’s like you’ve ‘swallowed a pill.’ They say, “He just smiles even when you scold him.” But here, we are not using any substance, no drugs or medicines.
We are creating this happiness practically, from within our own minds. So, when your spouse or boss comes and yells, you won’t take it to heart. You’ll hear the words, but they won’t trigger the same stress or anger. It won’t become a big deal. Some might think this is a childish trick, but it’s a simple, powerful method to create mental freedom.
You can apply this to exams as well. If you are filled with fear, imagine the joy you’ll feel when you pass with flying colors, when you get your degree. Many people already do this to some extent. This happiness you create is temporary, because it’s a forced creation of the mind, not a naturally arising state. It may only last for a short while.
Beyond Temporary Escapes to Discover True Inner Freedom
This imagined happiness might last for a few seconds, a few minutes let’s say five minutes. During those five minutes of relief, you must establish mindfulness, just as we teach in our other lessons. Watch the activity of your mind closely. And what happens when the five minutes are up? The power of that created feeling fades. We cannot hold onto it forever. But we can reduce the immediate pressure. Even after those five minutes, continue to practice mindfulness, observing the workings of your mind. See if this process doesn’t grant you a measure of mental freedom.
This is a temporary technique, like the expectant mother dreaming of her unborn child. The technique itself is not the final goal. That is why we always say to continue practicing mindfulness. I taught you this technique specifically to help those under intense pressure to shift their perspective and find temporary relief by focusing on a positive outcome. But true mental freedom comes from what you do next: you must continue to observe the mind with mindfulness.
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned the feeling of emptiness or freedom that arises when thoughts subside. I pointed out that when thoughts increase, you are subjected to immense pressure. Your busyness, your problems, and the various obstacles of life are what destroy your mental freedom.
To cope, people turn to various methods: alcohol, drugs, recreational trips, musical shows, nightclubs. Some seek mental freedom through sexual gratification, chasing after partners. In this world, many people do these things, driven by desire but also by a deep-seated need for mental freedom.
When you engage in these activities, you experience a temporary release, as we’ve discussed before. Think about it. Let’s say you’re under great pressure from work. You go on a trip to a place like Nuwara Eliya. You drink, maybe use drugs, engage in sexual activity if you desire, sing, dance, eat meat, have a barbecue you have a lot of what we call ‘fun.’ After your holiday is over, you return to work on Monday feeling a bit refreshed and happy.
But eventually, the stress from your job or family returns, and you are back where you started. So the question is, can’t we generate this happiness and mental freedom from within ourselves, without spending all that money and effort? Absolutely, yes. And this is the method the Buddha taught.
The Surprising Joy That Arises from Within
This method is at the heart of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. You don’t need to know big Pali words; you just need to do it practically. There is a mental freedom that arises when we practice mindfulness. I am not talking about the freedom that comes from deep meditative states or jhana, though that is also a form of freedom. I am referring to something more accessible: the simple reduction of thoughts. As you mindfully watch your mind, don’t you feel a lightness? A sense of release?
Observe yourself carefully. As you watch your mind with clear awareness while doing your job, while interacting with your family, or while engaging with society in your lay life, you may notice something surprising. Suddenly, a unique happiness, a sense of mental freedom, will arise. And if you look closely at this freedom, you will see that it is empty of attachments. The people you love, the money and possessions you value none of it is there. It’s just a strange, wonderful freedom. It is a lightness that relaxes the mind. In simple terms, it’s a taste of what liberation, or Nibbana, feels like a glimpse you get long before attaining it.
But please, do not label this as an attainment or go searching for signs of enlightenment. That is my advice to you. Simply notice that by watching the mind, you receive this profound mental freedom. It can last for a considerable time—ten or fifteen minutes with practice. Thoughts subside. You can speak to others with a genuine smile, even with someone you are angry with. You can smile at your boss who scolds you every day and listen to the criticism without being disturbed. You can face the problems of life with a joyful smile.
Think about whether you have ever experienced such a state. If you are a practical student of mindfulness, you have surely felt this. It is a felt experience. If it hasn’t ‘clicked’ for you yet, perhaps this article will help you recognize it. Our purpose in these teachings is to help you identify these experiences that are already happening within you through your practice.
The more you develop mindfulness, the more this happiness will arise from within you, without any formal concentration meditation. When this happens, the mind has very few thoughts. It feels almost empty. The thoughts that do arise are not stressful. They are not bound by attachment or aversion. This state is largely free from clinging and resistance, which is why it feels like a pure, non-sensual joy what is called niramisa sukha.
Your Mind Holds the Key: Finding the Root of Your Stress
Now, compare this inner joy to the happiness you seek externally. Can you even put a price on it? Consider the happiness you get from spending money, from drinking, eating, sexual indulgence, using drugs, going on trips, singing songs, eating all kinds of rich foods.
Put all of that on one sidethe side of sensual pleasure, or kama. On the other side, place this hidden freedom, this hidden happiness you generated from within your own mind. Compare the qualities of the two. Does one cost money? Did you not find this inner happiness while living your ordinary, daily life at your job, at your home?
Previously, you spent money to find happiness: on partners, on alcohol and drugs, on trips and fancy food. You did all that for the sake of mental freedom. But now, see if you haven’t found a superior happiness, one you couldn’t get even from those expensive escapes, simply by practicing mindfulness and observing your own mind. Initially, this inner joy might be temporary, because you have not yet reached final liberation.
But don’t worry about stages of enlightenment or attaining Nibbana. Those thoughts are just more defilements. Let’s not think about them and just continue the practical work. The Buddha taught us to practice mindfulness while sweeping the floor, while doing anything and everything.
If you have been heartbroken for ten years over a lost love, still carrying the pain even after marrying someone else and having children, the answer lies here. If your mind is filled with things from the past and present, the solution is this practice. Through it, you will find mental freedom arising from within. The more you watch your thoughts with this clear, mindful awareness this Sati Sampajañña the more you understand your mind’s workings and its defilements, the more your mind becomes free. It even becomes free from these very words.
The Illusion of Digital Happiness and the Path to Real Satisfaction
You might be someone who listens to music for temporary mental freedom. Or perhaps you find pleasure in watching the lives of celebrities on YouTube their hotel stays, their parties, their travels. You might derive happiness from watching social media. But as you practice mindfulness, you may have realized, “The happiness I get from these videos only lasts for the two minutes, or ten minutes, that the video is playing. After that, I have to find another one to feel happy again.” This is a wise insight that comes from mindfulness.
With time and practice, you begin to understand that true happiness cannot be found in these videos or on social media. It is only a temporary feeling we experience. After the video ends, we don’t get that feeling anymore. And soon, the light from the phone gives us a headache, and we get tired of it.
Notice that you don’t even watch the same video over and over. You jump between different videos, different apps. You get tired of WhatsApp and jump to Facebook, then to YouTube. You are constantly shifting because you cannot find lasting satisfaction in any one thing.
This inability to be satisfied is something many people never understand. They spend their entire lives chasing these temporary fixes because they don’t know there is an alternative. But there is another way. The day you realize that you can generate happiness from within your own mind without any electronic devices, social media, drugs, alcohol, or even talking to another person is the day you will understand that all those external things are useless. You will see that much of what the world chases is a lie. You will realize, “I can’t get the mental freedom I truly want from these things. They are all temporary.”
You will understand, “No matter how much I try to vent my stress by going to Nuwara Eliya, I will just have to go back again the next time I lose my mental freedom. Every time I lose my peace, I have to spend money on a trip or on substances.” But when you turn inward, you find the source of the problem.
“Where did I lose my happiness? Ah, it was right here, in my own mind.” You will see clearly that the fault lies in your own thoughts. For anyone new to our teachings, we recommend exploring our article on ‘Silently Watching the Mind’ to understand this practical method.
The Practical Path to Lasting Mental Freedom
As you continue to watch your mind, you will see that the fault is within you. You are the one who grieves, you are the one who suffers, and you are the one who becomes temporarily happy. You will see that these mental states are like the weather, constantly changing.
Then, the you who used to go on trips will think, “I can get more happiness right here than I ever did on those trips.” This understanding doesn’t come all at once; it grows as you practice. We are not used to experiencing our own minds; we are trained to experience the world through our five senses. But the Buddha taught that true happiness and mental freedom are found within.
As you watch the mind, you begin to identify your attachments. You see the people, objects, and properties you cling to. You realize, “Ah, I am clinging to this. That is why my mind is not free.” You also identify your aversions. You see that your anger towards your spouse’s scolding is what destroys your peace.
You understand, “It is this anger, this aversion, that robs me of my mental freedom and happiness.” Once you see this, you realize, “I should not react with aversion when my spouse scolds me. I must watch the angry thoughts with clear mindfulness.” Then, you apply the practice of ‘silently watching the mind’ to that very mental activity.
With practice, this defilement of aversion this anger, hatred, and rage will gradually diminish. Don’t worry about how long it will take. As it lessens, you will find your mental freedom returning, regardless of what your spouse or boss says. Your mind becomes free. Think about an exam you have to face in three months. How much pressure does that future event create for you right now, in the present? You worry constantly.
But what if, for some reason, the exam is canceled? All that worry was for nothing. The Buddha’s teaching helps here too. As the exam date approaches, watch the growing pressure with mindfulness. That pressure is a form of aversion. By observing it, the stress begins to fade. The mental freedom you would normally feel only after the exam is over can be experienced beforehand.
By observing the mind, you see the source of the pressure: thoughts like “I won’t be able to study,” “I won’t remember anything,” “I might fail.” When you see these weak, aversion-filled thoughts through mindfulness, you can just watch them. As you watch, they gradually lose their power. Then, you will have mental freedom before the exam, during the exam, and after the exam. Even when the results come, whether you pass or fail, that inner peace will remain stable. This may sound profound, but it is achievable through dedicated practice.
A Universal Path to Peace, Accessible to All
Some who have followed these teachings have already experienced this and contacted us. The fault is always within us, but the solution the happiness and mental freedom is also found right there. So, practice this. Identify the attachment and aversion in your mind. The answer is always to maintain mindfulness and watch that mental activity.
This is a universal truth. It is fair. There is no discrimination between rich and poor, black or white, or any religion. Anyone can attain this. It is often best understood by those who have truly ‘lived’ and experienced a lot in life. If you have traveled the world and seen everything, you are in a good position to realize that none of it brought lasting happiness. You will understand that real freedom is within.
Even if you are old and bedridden, you can do this practice. You can lie in bed and be happy, filled with mental freedom. You don’t have to suffer thinking, “I am sick and stuck in bed.” At that very moment, you can look at your mind with mindfulness and ask, “Why am I unhappy? Why do I lack mental freedom right now?” You will find the answer within your own mind.
The cause of your lost peace will be related to something: your job, an exam, your spouse, your child, finances, your parents, or society. It will always be an attachment or an aversion. Let’s say you identify that your child is the source of your stress. This doesn’t mean you should harm or abandon your child. You must find mental freedom while the child is still there. How? By mentally reducing the clinging you have towards them.
You see, “I am attached to my child, and that’s why their mistakes cause me so much pain.” As you recognize this through mindfulness, over and over, your attachment lessens. You will still love and provide for your child in every way. But you will reach a state of equanimity where, if they were to die, you would not be destroyed by grief. You might shed a few tears, but you would not fall into desperate wailing. You would not cling to the coffin and cry.
This is the truth. You can apply this same process to your job, your education, and every area of your life. Whenever you feel pressure, sorrow, or unhappiness, stop and look at your mind. You will find an attachment or an aversion. If it is your partner, do not rush to divorce them. If it is your relationship, do not end it.
Work on reducing the clinging *in your mind*. How? By continuing to observe it with mindfulness. As you keep recognizing, “My mental freedom is lost because of this attachment to my partner,” or “…because of this anger towards this politician,” the insight itself begins to free you. The problem and the answer are both within you.
After practicing for some months, you will find that no matter what problems arise, they won’t create the same level of mental pressure. What used to feel like 100% suffering will diminish to maybe 10%. This change is gradual. It is a training that requires your effort. Anyone of any age who can understand this can practice it. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, beautiful or not, or of another religion.
If you are lonely, you can generate happiness from within. If your sadness comes from not having a friend, identify that thought as the source of your pain. Watch it with mindfulness. In time, you will reach a state where you think, “It is the same to me whether I have a friend or not.” You will be free from that painful thought.
Ultimately, you will see that everything is constructed upon our thoughts. Understanding this, engage in this practice. As I’ve mentioned, refer to our ‘Silently Watching the Mind’ teaching to learn the practical steps. Apply this method of Sati Sampajañña, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness taught by the Buddha.
As you practice, mental freedom and happiness will arise from within you. You don’t need money or any of the external things I mentioned. You can create peace from within yourself. This article may have been long, but I hope it has given you a deep understanding of how to practice and what you can achieve.
May the blessings of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha give you the strength to master this practice of mindfulness, this path of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness taught by the Lord Buddha. I conclude this teaching, wishing you all the best in your practical journey.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
