The Buddha is not talking about bare attention — just sitting there, passively watching things arise and pass away, as if you’re in a drugged state. Appropriate attention is when you start asking the right questions.

"[The Buddha] has an interesting analysis of attention. He’s not talking about bare attention — just sitting there, passively watching things arise and pass away, as if you’re in a drugged state. To pay attention to life means to ask questions. Appropriate attention is when you start asking the right questions. And this is a good one to begin with: “What, when I do it, will lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?” “Long-term” here is important. You want long-term rather than short-term happiness. That’s part of the wisdom. The other part is that happiness depends on your actions — what you do, what you say, what you think. From that principle, you can derive a lot of the Buddha’s teachings."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Living Honorably" (Meditations8)


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

You know that you’ve got some past mistakes. There’s going to be some pain coming in the future. This shouldn’t be news. Having concentration as an alternative to sensual pain and pleasure puts you in a safe place.

Develop the equanimity of a good doctor who realizes he can't solve all the cases in the world

Introduction to Karma Q&A, A Study Guide