A Taste of Liberation

~ By Ajahn Jayasāro ~

We have a dysfunctional relationship with our mental states. Through ignorance of the true nature of phenomena we identify with mental states, we grasp onto them. This is the cause of much unnecessary suffering. The problem cannot be remedied by thinking. It can be remedied by a meditation practice embedded in the Eightfold Path.

The effort to sustain awareness on a meditation object such as the breath gives us a new perspective. Formerly, we assumed the each mental state belongs to us, is who we are, or at least is an expression of who we are. Now, desire, aversion, discouragement, anxiety, agitation etc. reveal themselves as temporary distractions from the work in hand. We see how unpredictable, unreliable and ownerless these mental states are. Our attachment to them wanes.

As meditation progresses, we are able to dwell in the spaces between thoughts, between emotions, for longer periods. We see directly how mental states arise and pass away according to causes and conditions. Mental states lose their power over us. We gain a taste of liberation.

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"Food for the Heart", a series of Dhamma teachings handwritten weekly is posted on the Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives page with Ajahn's kind permission.

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For other teachings by Ven. Ajahn Jayasāro, please visit the Panyaprateep Foundation website.