3.3.11

Lesson 3.3.11 Girimānandasuttaṃ, Part Two – What Is Perception of Rejection?

The Girimānandasutta describes how the Venerable Ānanda, on behalf of the Buddha, reminds the severely ill Venerable Girimānanda to reflect on the ten perceptions (dasa saññā) so he can re-establish his focus to continue striving in his meditation. The pahānasaññā, the rejection of all unwholesome thoughts, should especially induce a state of calm. Even more to the point, the Buddha described a process of five specific steps to reject, abandon and overcome arising ‘negative’ thoughts that inflict one’s concentration and quietude. Starting with the attempt to evade all disruption by ignoring any potential attraction to thoughts that roll in aversion, craving or delusion; one could also instead focus on mental imprints of the opposite quality of the distracting hindrance. Investigating and realising the ‘danger’ of such contemplations — meaning the disturbance through mental agitation and restlessness — is a further step, followed by an effort to avoid giving any attention to them, even trying to actually forcefully stop them with ‘clenched teeth’. Eventually, one should manage to ‘think whatever thought one wants to think and whatever thought one does not want to think, one doesn’t think.’ Though not an easy job, after all!