Directed thought and evaluation (vitakka-vicāra)
Directed thought and evaluation (vitakka-vicāra)
17. “What is the difference between ‘meditating on’ versus ‘contemplating’ or just thinking about something. Can you give some examples how one may skillfully meditate on something versus unskillfully? What does saṅkhāra mean?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Recollection] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Skillful qualities] [Volitional formations] [Pāli] // [Concentration] [Progress of insight] [Self-identity view] [Aggregates]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 11: A passage to arouse urgency.
1. “Could you expand about the layers of understanding of thought, perception, and dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Yatiko. [Discernment] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Perception] [Suffering] // [Proliferation] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “First you study the Dhamma, then you know the Dhamma, then you see the Dhamma, they you be the Dhamma.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma] [Progress of insight]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 631: The highest level of understanding is giving up.
22. Comments about thinking versus feeling out the quality of the heart in decision making. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness of mind] [Discernment] [Clear comprehension] [Right Livelihood]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
4. “Is there a state of the calm mind when you’re not thinking about anything or is meditation more about reflecting?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Recollection] [Tranquility] [Proliferation] // [Concentration] [Restlessness and worry] [Perfectionism] [Ardency]
6. “Is it possible to replace the busy thoughts with more positive thoughts you’re trying to cultivate?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Tranquility] [Proliferation]
5. “You said you have to adjust and think about contemplating. But how can you do that in your working time?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Discernment] [Everyday life] // [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension] [Happiness] [Recollection]
Quote: “In daily life, in contact with the world, do you still breathe?” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness of breathing]
Follow-up: “Could you give some examples? In Bangkok, there is lots of news that makes people crazy and divisive. When you see this news, you feel upset and angry.” [News] [Conflict] [Aversion] [Right Speech] [Politics and society] [Proliferation]
Quote: “I don’t care. Not in the sense that I don’t think it’s serious or that it’s not a problem. But I don’t care in the sense that I don’t want to be getting involved in whatever side people are working themselves up about, because the problem is much deeper than that. We have to pay attention to the deeper problem, both in the human condition and politically.” [Human]
6. Comment: There can be this view that the enlightened mind doesn’t have any thoughts or defilements. It’s just perfectly clear and stable and there’s nothing going on. [Liberation] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Unwholesome Roots] [Concentration]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: Clear and stable and nothing going on are two different things.
Follow-up: “Does the enlightened mind not have any unwholesome thoughts or does it just not pick up unwholesome thoughts?” [Directed thought and evaluation] [Unskillful qualities] [Proliferation] [Clinging] [Cause of Suffering]
Story: A palmist looks at Ajahn Chah’s hands. [Ajahn Chah] [Aversion] [Personality]
6. “When I practice mindfulness of breathing, thought arises. Do I want to eliminate thinking?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Concentration] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Proliferation] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Nature of mind] [Self-identity view] [Discernment] [Mindfulness of mind] [Investigation of states] [Relinquishment]
8. “How do you keep the self from coming up if this is an interesting thought to follow?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Conditionality] [Aggregates] [Knowing itself]
10. “When you contemplate, ‘Who is thinking? Who is breathing?’ how does thid differ from thinking? Why doesn’t it generate more thought?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Hua tou] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Proliferation] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Insight meditation] [Tranquility] [Restlessness and worry]
Quote: “The mind can still think and be peaceful. What a concept!” [Directed thought and evaluation]
3. “Can you please speak a little more about the process of bringing in a wholesome, brightening reflection into meditation? This morning you spoke about using directed thought / evaluation to explore the primary object (breath) then bringing in the “brightening” object. In this way, the attention shifts back and forth from breath to “brightening” object? Should one use this reflection often? Always? Please speak about this process. Thank you.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Gladdening the mind] [Mindfulness of breathing] [Recollection]
9. “What is the difference between directed thought and verbal fabrication? Thank you for showing us patience.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Volitional formations]
2. “How can one be mindful of the beginning of thought?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno, Ajahn Kaccāna and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness] [Right Mindfulness] // [Appropriate attention] [Perception] [Proliferation]
Comments about observing proliferating thoughts. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Conditionality] [Right Effort] [Restlessness and worry] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of breathing] [Feeling]
Sutta: MN 118 Ānāpānasati Sutta.
1. “What is your experience of directed thought and evaluation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation]
Quote: “Directed thought [vitakka] is like lifting up the object in the mind. Evaluation is then looking at it from different angles.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Similes]
2. “Does the consistency of vicara correlate with samadhi?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Concentration] // [Rapture] [Happiness] [One pointedness]
Sutta: MN 119: Simile of the bathman. [Similes]
9. “Is the goal (Nibbāna) a thought-less state of mind?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo and Ajahn Pasanno. [Nibbāna] [Heart/mind] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Formless attainments] // [Cessation of Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Impermanence]
“Who is the only person who doesn’t think? An arahant? A Buddha?” “No. The only person who doesn’t think is a dead person.” – Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Arahant] [Buddha] [Death]
10. Comment: Sīla requires quite a bit of thinking. [Virtue] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Vinaya] [Arahant]
Sutta: AN 3.86: An arahant can commit offenses.
17. “Does jhāna exclusively contain the five mental states?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Rapture] [Happiness] [One pointedness] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
Sutta: MN 111 Anupada Sutta
20. “What’s the difference between directed thought and mindfulness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness] [Jhāna]
23. “When we drop directed thought and evaluation, do we drop the object of our concentration and just abide in mindfulness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Concentration] [Mindfulness] [Meditation] [Jhāna] // [Knowing itself]
1. “What is the difference between ekaggatā and vitakka?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [One pointedness] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Pāli] [Jhāna] // [Right Concentration]
10. Comment: Hearing about vitakka and vicāra, I just realized that they’re not exclusive to getting jhāna. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Jhāna]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Becoming]
1. “The term ‘sense consciousness’ is used in the morning chanting, but I didn’t hear that [in MN 19]. When the Buddha recognizes a thought and puts it into a certain bin, this seems like a step beyond sense consciousness.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Consciousness] [Sense bases] [Investigation of states] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Mindfulness]
3. “I got a little confused about the part [of MN 19] where it says, ‘these thoughts are not to be feared.’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Right Intention] [Calming meditation] [Happiness]
Quote: “In trying to stop thinking, there’s an incredible tension that is created in the mind.” [Directed thought and evaluation] [Suffering]
Follow-up: “[MN 19] mentioned that these thoughts might make you tired.” [Directed thought and evaluation] [Sloth and torpor]
6. “Sometimes I get very worried and keep thinking about something and get tired and stressed out. Is this what the Buddha meant by ‘a day and a night’ [in MN 19.8]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Restlessness and worry] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Unskillful qualities] [Suffering] [Similes] [Heedfulness]
7. “Could you give some advice on using directed and sustained thought? Would these thoughts be like reapeating ‘Buddho’ or are they conceptual?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddho mantra] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Ajahn Chah]
8. “I’m curious about the wholesome/unwholesome assessment [in MN 19]. If it’s a thought of ill-will, greed, hatred, or delusion, but we’re not attached to it, we’re just seeing it arise, seeing it pass, recognizing it, being aware that it’s in the mind. Does the unwholesomeness come from believing it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [Unskillful qualities] [Investigation of states] [Unwholesome Roots] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness of mind] // [Habits] [Hindrances]
9. “How much should we be using that tool of the two categories?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Investigation of states] [Directed thought and evaluation]
10. Comment: In this teaching [MN 19], the Buddha doesn’t talk about any middle ground such as neutral thoughts. [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] [Jhāna]
11. “Where does attachment fit into the Dvedhāvitakka Sutta [MN 19]? Is it also thought?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Sutta] [Hearing the true Dhamma]
12. “When [the Buddha] talks about sensual desire, that’s craving, right?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sensual desire] [Craving] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Follow-up: “Do you know what the Pāli word used for sensual desire [in MN 19] is? I think that craving and sensual desire are different.” [Pāli]
3. “After a long time in practice trying to order thoughts around, which hasn’t been so fruitful, there’s been an experiment: trying to observe even when thoughts are really spinning, just bringing an awareness and let them spin. If there’s a strong sense of watching, where does that fit in [to MN 20]?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Proliferation] [Present moment awareness] // [Mindfulness] [Tranquility]
4. “When you go into your body to feel the underlying emotion behnd a thought, what happens when the bodily feeling is so uncomfortable taht you really don’t want to feel it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Mindfulness of body] [Emotion] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Suffering] [Aversion] [Fear] // [Recollection/Buddha] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Recollection/Virtue] [Faith]
Follow-up: “It seems really difficult to think of Dhamma or the refuges while in such a wrapped-up state. I don’t know if I could do that.” [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Visualization] [Goodwill] [Compassion]
10. “How can you connect the five methods [of MN 20] with the development of insight, which people tend to equate with just observing?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation] // [Investigation of states] [Characteristics of existence] [Dependent origination] [Cessation]
12. Comment: The language in method five [of MN 20] still catches me. If I’m pushing against a thought and beating it down, I’m actually more attached to it because of that. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Right Effort] [Abuse/violence] [Clinging]
Responses by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
14. Comment: The fifth method [of MN 20] is using mind on mind, thought over thought. It’s actually kind of subtle. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging]
16. Comment: My experience with method five [of MN 20] is that it works when the mind doing the crushing is compassion mind, wisdom mind. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Compassion] [Discernment] [Right Intention]
Responses by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo.
1. “Are the teachings in MN 19: Two Kinds of Thought and MN 20: The Removal of Distracting Thoughts meant to be used just during meditation or 24/7?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Everyday life]
2. Comment: Our group talked about body scanning, coming back to the body, as a way to find your center. Everyone was conscious of skillful means in knowing themselves. We all had different ways of knowing what works and adapting to different circumstances that arise. [Body scanning] [Mindfulness of body] [Right Effort] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Long-term practice]
3. Comment: Our group talked about what we use to deal with our thoughts, the Four Noble Truths, and perfectionism. [Four Noble Truths] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: “You can’t go wrong by coming back to the Four Noble Truths.”
Simile: The footprint of all animals fit within the footprint of an elephant. In the same way, all the teachings of the Buddha will fit into the Four Noble Truths. — Sariputta, MN 28 [Similes] [Teaching Dhamma] [Great disciples]
4. Comment: Our group talked about our suffering, the kind of thoughts that we’re laboring under, the nature of obsessive and addictive thoughts, and how these teachings might help us choose freedom. [Suffering] [Addiction] [Liberation] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of body] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Four Noble Truths]
5. “Where does allowing the thought to be there for a little bit come in? For example, if you’re thinking about a past event that means something to you, and you’re trying to stop it, and all of a sudden you realize, ‘Oh, it’s okay. This is meaningful to you.’ And it really loses power.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Present moment awareness] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Ill-will] [Craving not to become] [Mindfulness] [Clear comprehension]
6. Comment: I’ve been reflecting on freedom from as opposed to freedom within. Sometimes there’s a secret hope that those thoughts will go away, vibhava-taṇha, as opposed to freedom within, meaning releasing the identification with painful thoughts. [Craving not to become] [Self-identity view] [Release] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Hindrances]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering]
Quote: “Just that much.” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Disenchantment] [Directed thought and evaluation]
7. “Do thoughts by themselves have karmic consequences?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Kamma] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Perception] [Feeling] [Volition] [Self-identity view]
Sutta: MN 56: Upāli
Follow-up: “Is it good kamma to decide not to act on an unskillful thought?” [Skillful qualities] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Story: A person talks with Ajahn Liem, analyzing their consistently bad thoughts and obsessions. He replies, “If you see a pile of excrement, why would you want to stick your nose in it?” Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Ajahn Liem] [Unskillful qualities] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Similes] [Fierce/direct teaching] [Culture/Thailand] [Thai Forest Tradition]
Comment: I think my problem is that my nose is already in there, and I don’t want to realize that I’m so stupid that it’s hard to get it out. [Delusion]
9. Comment: It’s so hard not to identify with the contents of the mind, to not make it me and mine. Realizing how useless so many of my thoughts are helps. [Self-identity view] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Suffering] [Disenchantment] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness] [Pāli]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Not-self] [Humility]
4. “How can we skillfully take apart our preconceived notions and assumptions without undermining our ability to think?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Delusion] [Knowledge and vision] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Cause of Suffering] [Proliferation]
19. Comment: I have one of these thinking minds, and over the years I’m learning more and more to just watch where my thoughts go. I’m getting more comfortable with that. At the same time, I’ve heard teachings that as you improve your concentration on the primary object, your mindfulness increases as well. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Mindfulness] [Concentration]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Language] [Generosity] [Conditionality] [Desire] [Craving]
Quote: “The same word that is translated as concentration in English, when it’s translated in Thai, is ‘the firm establishing of the mind.’ That has a different feel to it.” [Translation] [Thai]
10. “I find a lot of meditation time is taken up with psychoanalyzing aand thinking, ‘Oh, this is a discovery!’ What is the line between realizing that you’re caught again?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Meditation] [Western psychology] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Mindfulness of feeling] [Proliferation] [Clear comprehension]
1. “What did you mean by ‘lifting up?’ Is it an object of attention?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Recollection] // [Restlessness and worry] [Sloth and torpor] [Postures] [Energy]
Quote: “Namo viññaṇa dhatu (Homage to the element of consciousness).” — Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Consciousness] [Elements] [Knowing itself]
8. Comment: Instead of thinking of one thing which I was having difficulty with, I brought to mind all the things that were working. [Directed thought and evaluation] [Appropriate attention] [Recollection]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Recollection/Virtue] [Faith]