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Deadly Weapons and the Middle Way An article by Sayadaw U Ottamasara Edited by Florian Dobson
Meditation is like surrendering your weapons; the weapons of like, dislike, and non-enlightenment. If you disarm yourself the minds of other people can feel it. The mind can sense if there is no like, dislike, and non-enlightenment in the mind of another. For example, I can feel if there is anger or suspicion in your mind. It is the nature of mind to be able to know about other minds. That's why, if you are angry with someone, that someone is also angry with you. It is because of the connection between minds. Meditation means disarming your mind. Whatever I say, whatever I do, wherever I go, there is no like, dislike and non-enlightenment. So I can stay anywhere, I can do anything. Because there is no weapon in my mind, there is no cause to bring me harm so I am out of danger. If you harbor strong like, dislike, and non-enlightenment, it is the invitation for trouble. That is why I compare them to weapons. After I practiced meditation, there is no desire, no like, no dislike, no hatred, and no non-enlightenment in my mind. I have given up all deadly weapons that can cause trouble. That’s why I am eternally safe. If there is a cause, there will always be an effect. There will be no trouble if there is no cause for it. Like, dislike, and non-enlightenment are the cause of all trouble and all suffering. People have to suffer from worry because they are guilty of carrying the concealed weapons of like, dislike, and non-enlightenment. Because of this crime they are sentenced to live a mortal life (in samsara). Meditation is the practice of remaining innocent. By cutting of any association with like dislike and non-enlightenment, we are removing the cause for guilt and suffering and on the path out of samsara. The only reason we continually pick up the weapons of like dislike and non enlightenment is because of our old habits – our attachment. That’s why Buddha said if there is attachment there will be suffering - trouble. If there is enlightenment and nonattachment there will be no suffering - no trouble. That is the essence of the four noble truths. In this country the rebels live in the border region between China and Myanmar, they take up their weapons and rebel against the government’s army. In this way they are inviting trouble. Not only do they have to fight with the government but also with other rebel groups. There is no area where the rebels stay safety near the border. The only way for them to be safe is to retreat from the hostile border region. This is a good example of how the process of suffering begins. First of all there is the mind, then we have our body with its eyes and ears and other senses. The sense doors are also like a war zone, they are always in contact with the environment, like the rebels and their enemies. If our mind is always connecting with our senses, it will never be at peace - just like the rebels. Only when the mind completely retreats from the hostile border region of the sense doors will it be able to find peace apart from realm of suffering, which is Nirvana. Meditation with ‘knowing nothing’ means practicing to stay without going to the border region of the sense doors. By knowing nothing, the mind resides in the heart center making no connection with the rebels in the border region. In this way you are safe and experience peace of mind. If you connect with the rebels it means you are looking for trouble. Like, dislike, and non-enlightenment are what keep connecting you with the rebels. Without the knowing of nothing, being interest in something will take your mind to the border region and it is the cause of suffering.