Venerable Bhante Sobhana,
Op 30-dec-2010, om 15:40 heeft sakyaputtiyo@... het volgende
geschreven:

> I used to understand yonisomanasikara as a 'manner of attention
> towards objects that come into contact with our sense bases that
> triggers wholesome states of mind'; or 'paying attention to those
> aspects of the objects that would trigger wholesome states of
> mind'. For example, if we pay attention to good and admirable
> qualities of a person, loving kindness will arise.

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N: It is good that you emphasize the manner (aakaara) of attention to
objects. Not the objects themselves are the real cause of kusala
cittas or akusala cittas, but the manner of attention to objects. I
would like to elaborate somewhat on this subject. I find it a good
subject to consider myself, it pertains to daily life.
A person may show disagreeable qualties and act in an unpleasant way
in conduct or speech. Someone who notices this may have aversion, and
then there is for him unwise attention.
Someone else may have understanding of accumulated tendencies both in
himself and others and see to what extent this conditions the cittas
arising at the presnt moment, their anattaness. Such understanding is
the condition for wise attention and hence compassion may arise. He
may try to give help instead of being annoyed.
Different manners of attention in these two cases. This is according
to conditions. When someone had a great deal of aversion in the past
this is a condition that it easily arises at present, he may be
easily irritated and annoyed. When someone has listened to the Dhamma
and developed understanding of realities this understanding is above
all a condition to have wise attention, no matter what kind of people
he meets, no matter what circumstances he is in.
Former akusala and former kusala conditions by way of natural
decisive support-condition (pakatupanissaya paccaya) the arising of
akusala citta and kusala citta at present. They have been accumulated
from moment to moment, since each citta that falls away is succeeded
by the following citta. Considering conditions helps us to have less
clinging to an idea of self who has wise attention or unwise
attention. Whatever arises does so because of conditions.

I would like to quote from 'The Roots of Good and Evil' by Ven.
Nyanaponika (Wheel 251/253, edition 1978). He quotes from the
�Discourse on all the Cankers� (Middle Length Sayings I, no. 2 ) that
the Buddha, while he was staying near S�vatth�, in the Jeta Grove, spoke
to the monks about the controlling of all the cankers.
Quote:

<The uninstructed common man... does not know the things worthy of
attention (manasikaran�ye dhamme) nor those not worthy of attention
(amanasikaran�ye)...

We read that he therefore fails to give attention to what is worthy
of it and directs his attention to what is unworthy. The well-
instructed disciple knows what is worthy of attention and what is
not, and he acts accordingly. We read in the commentary to this sutta
(Papa~ncasuudanii) :

...There is nothing definite in the nature of the things (or objects)
themselves that makes them worthy or unworthy of attention; but there
is such definiteness in the manner (aakaara) of attention. A manner of
attention that provides a basis for the arising of what is
unwholesome or evil (akusala), that kind of attention should not be
given (to the respective object); but the kind of attention that is
the basis for the arising of the good and wholesome (kusala), that
manner of attention should be given.>
----------
With respect,
Nina.




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