【The Meditation Session – what to do in between sessions 】- Restraining the sensory faculties – Why do we need to restrain?

【Here, the time for setting the mind on something that is “unobscured and ethically neutral” is not when the mind is apprehending a virtuous object of meditation, but at other times, such as during physical activities.】

The author specifically explains, what is this ethically neutral? It is unobscured and ethically neutral. What does it mean to be unobscured and ethically neutral? It is the respectful presence, such as walking, sitting there, or doing something. At that time, it is neither virtuous nor nonvirtuous. For, at that time, you are certainly not fully focused [on virtue]. For example, if I am prostrating to Buddha, that requires some walking, so walking is something other than prostration. There are two kinds of ethically neutral states: one is obscured and the other is unobscured. The contaminated one is obscured; the uncontaminated one is unobscured – this is a simple explanation. So now, the five parts are explained according to the text. Now I will review them separately from the text.

First, we need to recognize our normal states of mind, this mind of ours is doing what, what is in our mental thoughts? Our thoughts are spontaneous – our six sensory faculties, eyes to see, ears to hear, the mouth is either talking or eating, they have to be this way. The physical senses: this is nice, soft and comfortable, cool or hot, etc. Just like that. And then, when the five sensory faculties encounter the object, it will be immediately followed by the mental consciousness. Then you will make all kinds of erroneous discriminations right at that moment. That is how it works. What is this erroneous discrimination? Contamination and pollution are enhanced – these are all contaminated.

SOURCE 来源 :

25B 05’33” Vol 4 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P24 LL4
English Lamrim Vol 1 P102

日常师父法语📡25B 05’33” 手抄稿第4册P24 LL4

修持轨理 - 未修中间 : 密护根门-防护为何

【此中所住无覆无记者，谓威仪等时，非是持心住善缘时。】

他特别说明这个无记是什么，无覆无记。哪些是无覆无记呢？就是威仪，就是你行走啊，坐在那地方、做一点什么事情啊，那个时候谈不到是善是恶。因为你那时候的的确确，你不是全心贯注在上面，譬如说我礼佛，当然礼拜佛，你要走路，那个时候是另外一件事情。无记有两种：一种有覆无记，一种无覆无记；这染污的，那是有覆，不染污的，无覆，简单地说一下。那么这个五条文字解释了，我现在离开了这文字来从头说一下。

首先我们要了解我们平常一般状态，我们这个心念做些什么，我们心念做些什么？ 我们的心念就是自然而然的，我们的六根，眼睛去看，耳朵去听，嘴巴不是讲话就是吃东西，这个，那一定是这样；身上的感触，这个欢喜的，软软舒服的，凉快一点、热的等等，就是这样。然后呢，当这个五根对了境以后的话，它一定順着紧跟着意识就来了，然后你在这个地方就做种种的邪妄分别，这样。这种邪妄分别都是什么？增长杂染、染污的，都是这个染污的。