Naming

We said before that bare attention "tidies up" or regulates the
mind by sorting out and identifying the various confused strands of
the mental process. That identifying function, like any other
mental activity, is connected with a verbal formulation. In other
words, "identifying" proceeds by way of expressly "naming" the
respective mental processes.

Primitive man believed that words could exercise a magical power:
"things that could be named had lost their secret power over man,
the horror of the unknown. To know the name of a force, a being or
an object was (to primitive man) identical with the mastery over
it."[3] That ancient belief in the magical potency of names appears
also in many fairy tales and myths, where the power of a demon is
broken just by facing him courageously and pronouncing his name.

There is an element of truth in the "word-magic" of primitive man,
and in the practice of bare attention we will find the power of
naming confirmed. The "twilight demons" of the mind--our passionate
impulses and obscure thoughts--cannot bear the simple but
clarifying questions about their "names," much less the knowledge
of these names. Hence, this is often alone sufficient to diminish
their strength. The calmly observant glance of mindfulness
discovers the demons in their hiding-places. The practice of
calling them by their names drives them out into the open, into the
daylight of consciousness. There they will feel embarrassed and
obliged to justify themselves, although at this stage of bare
attention they have not yet even been subjected to any closer
questioning except about their names, their identity. If forced
into the open while still in an incipient stage, they will be
incapable of withstanding scrutiny and will just dwindle away. Thus
a first victory over them may be won, even at an early stage of the
practice.

The appearance in the mind of undesirable and ignoble thoughts,
even if they are very fleeting and only half-articulate, has an
unpleasant effect upon one's self-esteem. Therefore such thoughts
are often shoved aside, unattended to and unopposed. Often they are
also camouflaged by more pleasing and respectable labels which hide
their true nature. Thoughts disposed of in either of these two ways
will strengthen the accumulated power of ignoble tendencies in the
subconscious. Furthermore, these procedures will weaken one's will
to resist the arising and the dominance of mental defilements, and
strengthen the tendency to evade the issues. But by applying the
simple method of clearly and honestly naming or registering any
undesirable thoughts, these two harmful devices, ignorance and
camouflage, are excluded. Thence their detrimental consequences on
the structure of the subconscious and their diversion of mental
effort will be avoided.

When ignoble thoughts or personal shortcomings are called by their
right names, the mind will develop an inner resistance and even
repugnance against them. In time it may well succeed in keeping
them in check and finally eliminating them. Even if these means do
not bring undesirable tendencies fully under control at once, they
will stamp upon them the impact of repeated resistance which will
weaken them whenever they reappear. To continue our
personification, we may say that unwholesome thoughts will no
longer be the unopposed masters of the scene, and this diffidence
of theirs will make them considerably easier to deal with. It is
the power of moral shame (//hiri-bala//) that has been mustered
here as an ally, methodically strengthened by these simple yet
subtle psychological techniques.

The method of naming and registering also extends, of course, to
noble thoughts and impulses which will be encouraged and
strengthened. Without being given deliberate attention, such
wholesome tendencies often pass unnoticed and remain barren. But
when clear awareness is applied to them, it will stimulate their
growth.

It is one of the most beneficial features of right mindfulness, and
particularly of bare attention, that it enables us to utilize all
external events and inner mental events for our progress. Even the
unsalutary can be made a starting point for the salutary if,
through the device of naming or registering, it becomes an object
of detached knowledge.

In several passages of the Satipatthana Sutta the function of
naming or "bare registering" seems to be indicated by formulating
the respective statements by way of direct speech. There are no
less than four such instances in the discourse:

(1) "When experiencing a pleasant feeling, he knows 'I
experience a pleasant feeling'," etc.;
(2) "He knows a lustful (state of) mind, 'Mind is
lustful'," etc.;
(3) "If (the hindrance of) sense desire is present in him, he
knows, 'Sense desire is present in me'," etc.;
(4) "If the enlightenment factor mindfulness is present in him,
he knows, 'The enlightenment factor mindfulness is present
in me'," etc.

In concluding this section, we briefly point out that the
//tidying-up// and //naming// of mental processes is the
indispensable preparation for fully understanding them in their
true nature, the task of insight (//vipassana//). These functions,
exercised by bare attention, will help dispel the illusion that the
mental processes are compact. They will also help us to discern
their specific nature or characteristics, and to notice their
momentary rise and fall.

* * *

2. THE NON-COERCIVE PROCEDURE

Obstacles to Meditation
~
Both the world surrounding us and the world of our own minds are
full of hostile and conflicting forces causing us pain and
frustration. We know from our own bitter experience that we are not
strong enough to meet and conquer all these antagonistic forces in
open combat. In the external world we cannot have everything
exactly as we want it, while in the inner world of the mind, our
passions, impulses, and whims often override the demands of duty,
reason and our higher aspirations.

We further learn that often an undesirable situation will only
worsen if excessive pressure is used against it. Passionate desires
may grow in intensity if one tries to silence them by sheer force
of will. Disputes and quarrels will go on endlessly and grow
fiercer if they are fanned again and again by angry retorts or by
vain attempts to crush the other man's position. A disturbance
during work, rest or meditation will be felt more strongly and will
have a longer-lasting impact if one reacts to it by resentment and
anger and attempts to suppress it.

Thus, again and again, we meet with situations in life where we
cannot //force// issues. But there are ways of mastering the
vicissitudes of life and conflicts of mind without applications of
force. Non-violent means may often succeed where attempts at
coercion, internal or external, fail. Such a non-violent way of
mastering life and mind is satipatthana. By the methodical
application of bare attention, the basic practice in the
development of right mindfulness, all the latent powers of a non-
coercive approach will gradually unfold, with the beneficial
results and their wide and unexpected implications. In this context
we are mainly concerned with the benefits of Satipatthana for the
mastery of mind, and for the progress in meditation that may result
from a non-coercive procedure. But we shall also cast occasional
side glances at its repercussions on everyday life. It will not be
difficult for a thoughtful reader to make more detailed application
to his own problems.

The antagonistic forces that appear in meditation and that are
liable to upset its smooth course are of three kinds:

1. external disturbances, such as noise;
2. mental defilements (//kilesa//), such as lust, anger,
restlessness, dissatisfaction, or sloth, which may arise at
any time during meditation; and
3. various incidental stray thoughts, or surrender to day-
dreaming.

These distractions are the great stumbling blocks for a beginner in
meditation who has not yet acquired sufficient dexterity to deal
with them effectively. To give thought to those disturbing factors
only when they actually arise at the time of meditation is
insufficient. If caught unprepared in one's defence, one will
struggle with them in a more or less haphazard and ineffective way,
and with a feeling of irritation which will itself be an additional
impediment. If disturbances of any kind and unskillful reactions to
them occur several times during one session, one may come to feel
utterly frustrated and irritated and give up further attempts to
meditate, at least for the present occasion.

In fact, even meditators who are quite well informed by books or a
teacher about all the details concerning their subject of
meditation often lack instruction on how to deal skillfully with
the disturbances they may meet. The feeling of helplessness in
facing them is the most formidable difficulty for a beginning
meditator. At that point many accept defeat, abandoning prematurely
any further effort at methodical practice. As in worldly affairs,
so in meditation, one's way of dealing with the "initial
difficulties" will often be decisive for success or failure.

When faced by inner and outer disturbances, the inexperienced or
uninstructed beginner will generally react in two ways. He will
first try to shove them away lightly, and if he fails in that, he
will try to suppress them by sheer force of will. But these
disturbances are like insolent flies: by whisking--first lightly
and then with increasing vigor and anger--one may perhaps succeed
in driving them away for a while, but usually they will return with
an exasperating constancy, and the effort and vexation of whisking
will have produced only an additional disturbance of one's
composure.

Satipatthana, through its method of bare attention, offers a non-
violent alternative to those futile and even harmful attempts at
suppression by force. A successful non-violent procedure in mind-
control has to start with the right attitude. There must be first
the full cognizance and sober acceptance of the fact that those
three disturbing factors are co-inhabitants of the world we live
in, whether we like it or not. Our disapproval of them will not
alter the fact. With some we shall have to come to terms, and
concerning the others--the mental defilements--we shall have to
learn how to deal with them effectively until they are finally
conquered.

1. Since we are not the sole inhabitants of this densely populated
world, there are bound to be //external disturbances// of various
kinds, such as noise and interruptions by visitors. We cannot
always live in "splendid isolation," "from the noise of men and
dogs untroubled," or "ivory towers" high above the crowd. Right
meditation is not escapism; it is not meant to provide hiding-
places for temporary oblivion. Realistic meditation has the purpose
of training the mind to face, to understand and to conquer this
very world in which we live. And this world inevitably includes
numerous obstacles to the life of meditation.

2. The Burmese meditation master, the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw said:
"In an unliberated worldling //mental defilements// are sure to
arise again and again. He has to face that fact and know these
defilements well in order to apply again and again the appropriate
remedy of Satipatthana. Then they will grow weaker, more short-
lived, and will finally disappear." To know the occurrence and
nature of defilements is therefore as important for a meditator as
to know the occurrence of his noble thoughts.

By facing one's own defilements one will be stirred to increase the
effort to eliminate them. On the other hand, if out of a false
shame or pride one tries to avert one's glance when they arise, one
will never truly join issue with them, and will always evade the
final and decisive encounter. By hitting blindly at them, one will
only exhaust or even hurt oneself. But by observing carefully their
nature and behavior when they arise in one's own mind, one will be
able to meet them well prepared, to forestall them often, and
finally to banish them fully. Therefore meet your defilements with
a free and open glance! Be not ashamed, afraid or discouraged!

3. The third group of intruders disturbing the meditator's mind are
//stray thoughts// and //daydreams//. These may consist of various
memories and images of the past, recent or remote, including those
emerging from subconscious depths; thoughts of the future--
planning, imagining, fearing, hoping; and the casual sense-
perceptions that may occur at the very time of meditation, often
dragging after them a long trail of associated ideas. Whenever
concentration and mindfulness slacken, stray thoughts or daydreams
appear and fill the vacuum. Though they seem insignificant in
themselves, through their frequent occurrence they form a most
formidable obstacle, not only for the beginner, but in all cases
when the mind is restless or distracted. However, when these
invaders can be kept at bay, even long continuous periods of
meditation can be achieved. As in the case of the mental
defilements, stray thoughts will be entirely excluded only at the
stage of Arahatship, when the perfect mindfulness thereby obtained
keeps unfailing watch at the door of the mind.

If they are to shape our attitude, all these facts about the three
kinds of disturbing factors must be given full weight and be fully
absorbed by our mind. Then, in these three disturbing factors, the
noble truth of suffering will manifest itself to the meditator very
incisively through his own personal experience: "Not to obtain what
one wants is suffering." The three other noble truths should also
be exemplified by reference to the same situation. In such a way,
even when dealing with impediments, the meditator will be within
the domain of Satipatthana. He will be engaged in the mindful
awareness of the Four Noble Truths--a part of the contemplation of
mental objects (//dhammanupassana//).[4] It is characteristic of
right mindfulness, and one of its tasks, to relate the actual
experiences of life to the truth of the Dhamma, and to use them as
opportunities for its practical realization. Already at the
preliminary stage devoted to the shaping of a correct and helpful
attitude, we have the first successful test of our peaceful
weapons: by understanding our adversaries better, we have
consolidated our position which was formerly weakened by an
emotional approach; and by transforming these adversaries into
teachers of the truths, we have won the first advantage over them.

Three Countermeasures
~
If we are mentally prepared by a realistic view of these three
factors antagonistic to meditation, we shall be less inclined to
react at once by irritation when they actually arise. We shall be
emotionally in a better position to meet them with the non-violent
weapons of which we shall now speak.

There are three devices for countering disturbances that arise in
meditation. The three should be applied in succession whenever the
preceding device has failed to dispose of the disturbance. All
three are applications of bare attention; they differ in the degree
and duration of attention given to the disturbance. The guiding
rule here is: to give no more mental emphasis to the respective
disturbance than is actually required by circumstances.

1. First, one should notice the disturbance clearly, but lightly:
that is, without emphasis and without attention to details. After
that brief act of noticing, one should try to return to the
original subject of meditation. If the disturbance was weak or
one's preceding concentration fairly strong, one may well succeed
in resuming contemplation. At that stage, by being careful not to
get involved in any "conversation" or argument with the intruder,
we shall on our part not give it a reason to stay long; and in a
good number of cases the disturbance will soon depart like a
visitor who does not receive a very warm welcome. That curt
dismissal may often enable us to return to our original meditation
without any serious disturbance to the composure of mind.

The non-violent device here is: to apply bare attention to the
disturbance, but with a minimum of response to it, and with a mind
bent on withdrawal. This is the very way in which the Buddha
himself dealt with inopportune visitors, as described in the
Mahasunnata Sutta: "...with a mind bent on seclusion...and
withdrawn, his conversation aiming at dismissing (those visitors)."
Similar was Shantideva's advice on how to deal with fools: if one
cannot avoid them, one should treat them "with the indifferent
politeness of a gentleman."

2. If, however, the disturbance persists, one should repeat the
application of bare attention again and again, patiently and
calmly; and it may be that the disturbance will vanish when it has
spent its force. Here the attitude is to meet the repeated
occurrence of a disturbance by a reiterated "No," a determined
refusal to be deflected from one's course. This is the attitude of
patience and firmness. The capacity for watchful observation has to
be aided here by the capacity to wait and to hold one's ground.

These two devices will generally be successful with incidental
stray thoughts and daydreams, which are feeble by nature, but the
other two types of disturbances, the external ones and defilements,
may also yield quite often.

3. But if, for some reason, the do //not// yield, one should
deliberately turn one's full attention to the disturbance and make
it an object of knowledge. Thus one transforms it from a
//disturbance// to meditation into a legitimate //object// of
meditation. One may continue with that new object until the
external or internal cause for attending to it has ceased; or, if
it proves satisfactory, one may even retain it for the rest of that
session.

For instance, when disturbed by a persistent noise, we should give
the noise our undivided attention, but we should take care to
distinguish the object itself from our reaction to it. For example,
if resentment arises, it should be clearly recognized in its own
nature whenever it arises. In doing so we shall be practicing the
contemplation of mind-objects (//dhammanupassana//) according to
the following passage of the Satipatthana Sutta; "He knows the ear
and sounds, and the fetter (e.g. resentment) arising through both."
If the noise is intermittent or of varying intensity, one will
easily be able to discern the rise and fall (//udayabbaya//) in its
occurrence. In that way one will add to one's direct insight into
impermanency (//aniccata//).

1. Since we are not the sole inhabitants of this densely populated
world, there are bound to be //external disturbances// of various
kinds, such as noise and interruptions by visitors. We cannot
always live in "splendid isolation," "from the noise of men and
dogs untroubled," or "ivory towers" high above the crowd. Right
meditation is not escapism; it is not meant to provide hiding-
places for temporary oblivion. Realistic meditation has the purpose
of training the mind to face, to understand and to conquer this
very world in which we live. And this world inevitably includes
numerous obstacles to the life of meditation.

2. The Burmese meditation master, the Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw said:
"In an unliberated worldling //mental defilements// are sure to
arise again and again. He has to face that fact and know these
defilements well in order to apply again and again the appropriate
remedy of Satipatthana. Then they will grow weaker, more short-
lived, and will finally disappear." To know the occurrence and
nature of defilements is therefore as important for a meditator as
to know the occurrence of his noble thoughts.