Post # 3 - Steps in the Mind’s Response Process; to be read preferably after reading Post1 and Post2 from Archives

Steps in the Mind’s Response Process - How to be successful in life.

Step 1-

The environment around us is full of what we may refer to as sense objects. They are experienced through our sense faculties of eye, ear, nose etc., by the sensory stimuli emanated by them, such as shapes, colours, sounds, smells etc. These signals are of different strengths, grouped as subtle, gross and strong.

The subtle signals are very faint and they arouse no awareness in our mind and therefore create no impression in the mind.

The gross signals are of sufficient intensity to arouse awareness in our mind. Awareness shifts from one such signal totally to next as signals change. The gross signals leave no impression and fade away without further consequences.

The 3^rd group is the strong signals. These signals are of sufficient strength or of sufficient interest to us, that they attract our attention.

Step 2

When such attention is drawn to an object, more details in the signal/object are discerned.

Step 3

The Mind next associates these details with past experiences, in a process that Nanaponika Thero describes as similar to associative thinking given in psychology.

Step 4

Then recognition dawns, about the object that was discerned, based on past experiences.

Step 5

With dawning of recognition an emotion or feeling arises again based on past experiences. This happens as an effect due to past causes (vipaka) and we have no control over this happening. These feelings or emotions are experienced as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

Step 6

The natural tendency is to give vent to or to fulfill this emotion with an action. These actions manifest as thoughts, or words or physical deeds.

With this action the total process gets impressed in the mind as one more ‘life’s experience’. This is entirely habitual and seems to happen without one's will or determining.

The new life experience that accumulates can be either a wholesome ‘life-experience’ or an unwholesome ‘life-experience’

This new experience along with existing experiences goes to fashion one's character and personality. Also the new experience, along with the other existing experiences, takes part and contributes to future associative thinking when responding to new signals.

Each person thus has a unique personality, attitude to life, likes/dislikes, character etc. made, inherited and carried forward through this process. What is there in store is one's past. The ‘nett’ influence from the past, associates with the new signal in the present, to generate the emotion that prompts one to future action?

The action thus manifested can be conditioned by kindness, compassion or helpfulness etc. in one person, or hate, anger, abusive or harmful thoughts in another person, based on the past accumulations of ‘life-experiences’. A person cannot help himself/herself for this past record, but to act as prompted

This is why there are apparently good people and bad people in a society. They need to be understood

What can one do?

Can one resist or change this natural tendency in action?

With developed mindfulness and due diligence one can track this process as it progresses in the mind.

With ability and skill developed through right meditative practice Buddha has said that one can arrest the process between step 5 and step 6. This is articulated in Buddha's teaching on 'Four Foundations of Mindfulness' by developing the skills of mindfulness and clear comprehension.

When emotions arise as described in Step 5, one could remain equanimous and let-go of those emotions recognized as leading to detrimental consequences with due diligence, and deal skillfully and efficiently with only those that are recognized as good. The pali reference to this is living with 'yoniso manasikara'.

Meditation practices can help develop mindfulness and clear comprehension, to live with yoniso manasikara for this purpose. More details on this will be included in a future Post.

Meditation helps us to be:  - Effective; ie doing the right things and  - Efficient; ie doing things right

This is how we may respond to and cope with the happenings in the world around us so that we can get ahead in life and be successful………… 

See also the next post on "concepts and reality' for more discussion on this.