Section outline
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Lesson 3.3.10 Lekhasuttaṃ – Generating Saṅkhāra like Rock, Earth or Water
When the term saṅkhāra is used in Pāli, it usually refers to mental preconditioning or mentally conditioned reactions. Such reactions usually occur throughout one’s life, mostly unnoticed below the threshold of consciousness. According to the Lekhasutta (literally the ‘discourse about writing’), these reactive patterns can be divided into three categories: those of little influence that pass away quickly, those of stronger influence and those of firm, predominant influence with an effect that remains for a long period. Even though the sutta uses the example of ‘anger’, this can be substituted by any subliminal or cognisant emotional mood. It may be a helpful urge for every meditator to become more aware of the push inflicted by saṅkhārā and to exercise detachment in neutralising their strong impact.