Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 45-minute session on Lorig (Buddhist cognitive analysis), Ven Jampa Ignyen systematically examines the fifty-one mental factors constituting consciousness. The class covers the five object-determining mental factors—aspiration, resolution, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—drawing on classical texts by Asaṇga and Yeshe Gyeltsen. Aspiration overcomes laziness and generates effort; resolution stabilizes our engagement with chosen objects; mindfulness prevents distraction; concentration develops single-pointed focus; wisdom analyzes phenomena to counter doubt. The session then explores the eleven virtuous mental factors, focusing on faith (divided into three types: lucid faith from seeing qualities, convictional faith from understanding causality, and faith grounded in the strength of fact), shame, consideration, and non-attachment. Extended student questions clarify practical points: the distinction between regret and destructive guilt, how faith functions independent of logic, and why attachment inevitably seeds disappointment.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 12 M and C 2001 09 04.mp3
UUID: 68166eef-17a9-48aa-a570-90678b229aa7
Teacher: Ven Jampa Ignyen
Collection: y Mind and Cognition 2001 Month 07-09 (Ven Jampa Ignyen)
Date: 2001-09-04
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 45.1 minutes
Words: ~4,572
Right. So this what we’ve been doing is, now we’re doing the final section of, Lorig, the text on cognition. And that, we’re doing, main minds and mental factors. And within that we’re doing the fifty one mental factors. Now, as we look at, the presentation by Pabongka, it’s quite brief.
So we’re supplementing this with another work by Yeshe Gyeltsen on minds and mental factors, which does give the definition of each individual mental factor. So this, what is being handed out at present is to supplement what is in our Lorig text. Now, I’m just wondering everyone has a copy of the answer sheet from that test. I’m just wondering whether it’s better to wait till later to or are there questions that people may want to ask at present on the test? Has there been enough time anyway to absorb that?
Yeah. Yeah. Yep. I think that’d be yeah. Otherwise, actually, if we stop and start reading now, we will, we won’t have enough time.
Right. So where did we finish last time? It was on page number nine. Right. Now sorry.
I need a copy of this myself. We got these spare copies, okay, of the extra text of? I’ll keep those. There should be enough for or if we could, yeah, maybe share just a it’s good if you Anyway, so what we’re doing at present is the minds and mental factors. And so far what we’ve done is the five omnipresent mental factors, which are mental factors that occur all the time unceasingly.
So that’s feeling discrimination, intention, attention, and contact. And right. So then there’s another set of five called the five object determining. So here, the object determining include aspiration, resolution, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Now, this occurs on page number nine.
Has everyone got Okay. If you could just look on with anyone else, there’s only yeah. No, sorry. This is a we didn’t print up enough. Yeah.
So firstly, we have aspiration. So aspiration or dünpa in Tibetan. Now the definition of what aspiration is, is the desire to possess this and that desired phenomenon. So it’s quite straightforward type of definition, quite simple. It’s from the Abhidharmasamuccaya, this text by Asaṇga, who also mentions that it functions to support the activation of effort.
It functions to initiate effort. In a sense, effort is coming from aspiration. We need some type of aspiration before effort arises. And as Yeshe Gyeltsen says, it is cognition seeking an object through focusing on its contemplated phenomena. So in a sense, it’s holding a particular object and seeking to achieve that object.
It seeks an object. Aspiration is something which is seeking to establish a goal or an object. No. These are now the five object determining. The previous five are omnipresent.
They’re always present. Now, this next set of five, basically, they’re occurring when we’re cognizing an object. We comprehend an object. So in that case, there is aspiration. Which is it’s a type of mind that’s taking an interest in the object.
And then the method of aspiration acting acts as support of effort. And Uttaratantra states, this text of Uttaratantra states, the abode and that abiding on that are cause and result. And also that particular quote, is extensively explained elsewhere, but not just here. Also Lamrim Chenmo states, if one is unable to stop laziness, which does not delight in meditating on concentration and takes joy in compatible states, at first one does not yield to engaging in concentration. And though one obtains that once, since one is not able to practice continuously, it quickly degenerates.
Because of that, in the beginning, the point of stopping laziness is very important. Here, Lama Tsongkhapa is talking about is this need for aspiration in the beginning in order to overcome laziness. And if we look at the faults, the five faults for preventing the arrival of concentration is firstly laziness. And of the ways of overcoming laziness, the first is aspiration. What prevents us, in other words, from sitting down and establishing single pointed concentration in the moment is that we don’t have sufficient aspiration to do it.
It’s obvious. But it’s having that aspiration that enables us to overcome our laziness, the current laziness that we possess. And that laziness, what is it doing? It’s not delighting in meditating on concentration. So laziness is that thing in the present that’s stopping us from becoming enthusiastic about something.
If one obtains pliancy, increased by physical or mental bliss, weariness does not occur in practicing day and night and laziness is stopped. In developing that, one needs the capacity to engage in continuous effort in concentration, the cause for developing pliancy. In developing that, one needs a strong continuous aspiration, seeking concentration. As the cause of that, one needs stable, heartfelt faith, seeing the qualities of concentration. So again, here without aspiration, we don’t have the thought to we don’t have the energy, we don’t have the capacity to overcome laziness.
And therefore we don’t have this capacity to practice day and night no matter what the conditions are. We what therefore we need is the state of pliancy, which enables us to continue practice no matter what the situation is. That type of pliancy which is mental and physical bliss or ease that’s able just to endure hardship, both mental and physical, that comes about through being able to apply concentration and generate a degree of single pointed concentration. And again, gaining that concentration depends on overcoming laziness. Overcoming laziness on having strong continuous aspiration.
So here, is using the example of how we develop concentration to explain what aspiration is. So this aspiration is quite important in the mental factors, having aspiration to achieve a particular goal, which overcomes laziness and so on. Then the nature of resolution. So what is resolution? The Abhidhamma Samachaya states, it holds phenomena which it determines to exist in just the way it determines them.
It holds phenomena or objects which it determines to exist in just the way it determines them. So resolution is one step beyond aspiration where it is really capable of determining the nature of the object and holding that. It functions to not be deprived of its object. So we have a degree of resolution at present. So resolution in a good in a positive direction is the type of resolution that’s meant here.
It is cognition on top of page number ten. It is cognition holding that it exists only as an object determined by valid awareness of it and not other. Here, the specific function of possessing the function of not being deprived means if one finds stable resolution in the object determined by oneself, others are not able to change one from that. For example, in the context of refuge, if one analyzes what is non deceptive refuge, etcetera. So resolution is what prevents one from being swayed from one’s course of action.
If one, for instance, takes refuge in the three gems, then one has a stable resolution. That here it comprehends the object and acts not to lose that object, to be deprived of that object. So that roughly is resolution. Then the next one. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Resolution is not what attachment is doing is overestimating the object. Here, resolution is taking an object, any particular object, and then holding to that object, creating a determined, what, determined state of mind in relation to the outcome, being resolved in that goal. Anyway, then we have mindfulness. So these five go together.
First aspiration, then resolution. Aspiration occurs first, then as it becomes stronger, in a way resolution is a stronger form of aspiration. Then we have mindfulness. And Abhidharmasamuccaya states, what is mindfulness? It stops the mind forgetting a particular phenomenon.
It functions to not be distracted. It functions to counter distraction. And it is cognition possessing three attributes. It possesses the attribute of the object, a familiar phenomena. It also has the attribute of aspect, not forgetting through focusing on that object, and the attribute of function, not being distracted.
So it has these three attributes, not being distracted, not forgetting, and having an object one is familiar with, one has passed connection with. So basically what mindfulness is doing is just not allowing us to forget the object. Then we have concentration and the Abhidharmasamuccaya states. What is concentration? It’s single pointed placement of the mind on an imputed phenomenon.
It functions to support being aware or knowing it, knowing the object. And its definition is basically, it is single pointed placement of the mind continuously, continuously placed through focus on an imputed phenomenon. So here the implication is that it’s mental awareness because here we’re talking about imputed phenomenon. But it also occurs with sensory awareness. And underneath it says the attribute of specific object of concentration is called an imputed phenomenon because when meditating on concentration, since it is discernment holding the mind on an imputed focal object, it is called imputed.
Here, the word imputed is used because if we try and generate concentration, Then we’re using a conceived object to do it. We’re taking an image of something and focusing on that conceived image and then trying to hold the mind on a conceived image and generate pointed concentration. So in a sense, because of the main usage there of concentration and imputed phenomena, an imputed object is talked about. But in general, even sense awareness has a degree of concentration when it’s comprehending an object. There is a degree of there is a mental factor of concentration, which is eye awareness holding its object.
But the main one for us is to develop internal mental placement because within the Buddhist teachings, the Buddhist teachings are summarized in three, ethics, concentration, and wisdom. Through practicing ethics, settles. The mind begins to settle because what ethics is doing is eliminating the actions of body, speech, and mind directed at harming others. So by ethics subduing those types of mind, the mind begins to become pacified, begins to become quiet and unagitated. It counts as agitation.
And through that, then concentration will naturally develop. This is internal concentration. And then through concentration developing, then wisdom develops as a natural process. So concentration is extremely important. And here it’s explained in the context of personal aspiration, then resolution, then mindfulness.
And then on those bases, then concentration also develops. And then wisdom, which is the fifth of the object determining. What is wisdom? The bottom of page ten. It properly examines dharmas which are phenomena to be investigated.
So what wisdom is doing is analyzing objects, determining the different natures of objects. And wisdom counters indecision or doubt. So as Sangha is saying here, that the function of wisdom is to overcome doubt about something. In the sevenfold, progression of mind, we have wrong awareness, then doubt. And then what comes after doubt?
Wrong awareness, doubt. Awareness. Inattentive awareness. Yeah. In a way that we can put to one side.
Correct belief. Correct belief. Yeah. So it’s really in a way, correct belief arises when doubt is overcome. So that correct belief in a way is related to wisdom.
It’s a point when doubt is being overcome, which is what the function of wisdom is. Yeah. It does does have that meaning. Yeah. Intelligence.
Wisdom. Yeah. In the Tibetan, there’s different words. There’s, like, sherab, wisdom, lodro, intelligence, and so on. But here, what wisdom is, is the ability differentiate one object from another or to be able to differentiate what is virtue and non virtue.
Right. So then right at the bottom of the page, then, also it said there is reason for calling the five mental factors from aspiration, etcetera, object determining, because these mental factors individually determine the objects by acting to hold the objects through having held specific attributes of the object. That sounds a bit long winded, doesn’t it? Often these definitions are quite technical. But what the object determining and doing is simply what they do is either they comprehend the object or they allow for the comprehension of the object.
Then again, these five are also neutral. The first five and the second five, the first five that we did last week, and these five are all neutral. So whether the mind is virtuous, non virtuous, or neutral depends on whether or what mental factors are engaged. But these first ten that we’re dealing with here are neutral. It’s useful to keep that in mind.
And then the next one, page eleven, we’ve got this. There are eleven virtues. Faith, shame, consideration, non attachment, non hatred, non delusion, effort, pliancy, diligence, equanimity, non cruelty. So from a Buddhist point of view, virtuous states are subsumed in these eleven. If it’s virtue, then it’s one of these eleven or a combination of them.
Or that which is virtuous is associated with these eleven. The mind itself becomes virtuous by association with one or more of these eleven. So firstly, the nature of faith. So what is faith? It is actual conviction, lucidity and desire for existence, those possessing qualities and potency.
It functions to support aspiration. So faith also, you know, here supports aspiration, which is the first of the five object determining which occurred previously. And there, the author then states, it is cognition acting as the direct antidote of non faith, which possesses the aspiration or the aspect of conviction, lucidity or desire. So there are three types of faith that are given by the author. Lucid faith, convictional faith, and faith by the strength of fact.
So lucid faith this is the mind of faith through seeing the qualities of those possessing qualities, such as the Three Jewels. So if you see the qualities, the good qualities of, say, the Buddha, for instance, or the Dharma. So the Dharma jewel, if one sees the positive qualities of the Dharma jewel and one develops a confidence in that object, or one is attracted to the object, one sees the qualities and is attracted towards them, then that is lucid faith. It is called lucid faith because for example, just as turbid water immediately becomes clear if a clarifying jewel is placed in turbid water. If faith generated in one’s continuum, all qualities of comprehension clearing away turbid minds are suitable to be generated in one’s continuum.
So what is mentioned here is that traditionally there’s said to be this type of jewel that if we place it in water, it settles all the mud and the dust and so forth in the water. And the water becomes clear. Lucid faith is like that. If one has lucid faith in one’s continuum, then agitated states of mind will tend to subside and mind one’s mind clears. And that arises from simply understanding qualities or seeing the good qualities in another being.
Convictional faith then is this is attaining conviction through contemplating the method of dependent arising, karma and its result, which was stated by the conqueror. So convictional faith is coming about through understanding a process like the law of cause and effect. That simply by understanding the absolute pervasion and the non deceptive nature of the law of cause and effect, one develops convictional faith in the law of cause and effect. For instance, if we look even on a physical level and we see how everything in the physical universe arises through causes and conditions, one in a sense develops a type of convictional faith in the law of cause and effect, that nothing occurs physically without there being appropriate causes and conditions for it to happen. Here, it’s talking about internal causation, saying that all our emotions, all our states of awareness, all our thoughts and feelings to the very last are a product of causation.
And this causation is completely non deceptive. But no matter what happens at any moment is always coming from a previous cause, an internal cause, as its substantial generator. Thinking about this and developing when one develops faith in the law of cause and effect, especially internal cause and effect, then that is convictional faith. And in faith by the strength of fact, through contemplating the method of the four truths, truth of suffering and so forth, one determines that both suffering and origin are objects to be obtained and cessation and path are objects to be obtained. Suffering and origin are objects to be abandoned and cessation and path are objects to be obtained.
Therefore, it is faith thinking. I am capable of obtaining that through understanding that if one strives with appropriate method, I will definitely obtain that. So here also, by in a way, it’s also understanding the law of cause and effect, but in a more limited fashion, because it’s under here it’s understanding, that suffering exists and the cessation of suffering exists. And that there is a causal method to achieve this and developing conviction, developing what faith in the ability to overcome all suffering. Here, that’s the type of faith by the strength of fact.
And in fact, all our afflictive states are generated by the truth of origin. And that here is an example of faith by the strength of fact. Is that okay? There’s a difference between the second and the third one there. And the first and the second two are easily differentiated, aren’t they?
Is that okay? And the second and the third are also differentiated, aren’t they? In the second one, they’re dealing with the law of karma, law of cause and effect on a very expansive level, dealing with the entire universe, isn’t it? In the law of cause and effect in the entire universe, there’s nothing impermanent that occurs. That’s not a product of causes and conditions.
Understanding that is the most difficult thing to understand in the universe. And that is only understood through conviction of faith, really through conviction in the words of an omniscient being. This third one is faith by the strength of fact. That’s not looking at the entire universe. That’s looking at our own mind body continuum.
And within the field of our own mind body continuum, it’s understanding that every moment or any moment of dissatisfaction that may arise is a product of afflictive states, product of our own actions in the past, own affective states in the past. So there’s a there is some difference there. But faith is divided into those three types. The second two is stronger. Really, the faith by the strength of fact is, is stronger.
If we simply have lucid faith in something, it’s useful, but it’s not as stable as the third type because the third type is supported by common sense. It’s supported by reasoning, by logic. Because it’s supported by logic and reasoning, it’s much more reasoning, stable. Whereas lucid faith can be overturned. For instance, we may have faith in someone, but if we see their negative qualities, because it’s not grounded in reasoning, it can be shaken.
We can lose it. As soon as we see a negative quality of someone, for instance, then that type of faith can can disappear. Yep. Yeah. Lucidity.
Lucidity. And those possessing qualities and potency. Here, I think it’s referring to, desire for the existence of those particular qualities and also those possessing those qualities and potency. I take it to be that. It’s not like craving, craving for existence or something like that.
But here, existence in the sense of the existence of qualities. Sorry. Conviction? Yes. No.
No. There Oh, it’s not that type of conviction. Here conviction of faith means having conviction in the word of a fully awakened being in terms of the law of cause and effect. Yeah. Here, actually, when it’s talking about conviction, it’s talking about this area of the law of cause and effect, which cannot be comprehended by a sentient being.
One develops faith in the law of cause and effect really through having conviction in the word of the Buddha. Yeah. Or you have conviction. It also comes up this threefold division comes up in, it’s reflected in the inference and how inference is generated. Also, there’s a similarity there as well.
Sorry? It’s in a way it’s dealing with the three levels of of existence, phenomena which are obvious or hidden or extremely hidden. This threefold division. And faith also, although it’s not exactly the same. Here, we’re dealing with faith itself.
We’re not dealing with developing correct conception or inference. No, that’s right. You can. Yeah. Okay.
Now we’ll just push on the shame. Now also with shame, with Abhidharmakośa, Abhidharmasamuccaya also states, what is shame? It is that abandoning one’s unconfessed error for oneself. It functions to support proper restraint from faulty behavior. So here, unconfessed error is just talking about negative actions one has committed.
In Tibetan, it’s kha na ma tho ba is literally unconfessed faults or errors that one has, just meaning any faults that one can commence, any errors that one commits. And the definition then is given. It is that shame is that abandoning unconfessed error for one’s own sake. Annihilating unconfessed error means it’s destroying one’s own errors for one’s own sake. Okay, that’s reasonably self explanatory.
Then consideration is very similar. What is consideration? It is that abandoning one’s unconfessed errors for others or for others’ sake. It functions to support proper restraint from faulty behavior as before. It is that abandoning unconfessed error for others’ sake.
So in other words, if we commit a negative action and we have some sense of shame from our own side, then that is shame. If it’s for in consideration of others, then it’s consideration. So regretting or being embarrassed at our negative actions either for our own sake or others sake is therefore shame or consideration. Then we have non attachment. Oh, absolutely.
Yeah. I think we need to keep it in certain bounds. Otherwise, it can become not that useful to us. But in fact, we should apply the four opponent powers, generate strong regret, and then we engage in, for instance, a fourth opponent power that is, say, engaging in an opponent to the negative action, then we should really have a conviction that this will purify this negative action, that it will weaken the karmic seed. And then we should leave it at that.
But otherwise it become it can become a type of dread or guilt in relation to an action, which in itself is not is not, uprooting the action or purifying it. It’s like having this ongoing thought that, oh, this was something negative. I shouldn’t have committed that action. Oh, it’s terrible and so on. And just becoming, somewhat depressed by it.
Yeah. We do need to, in a way, mark a boundary around it and effectively deal with it. But in a very sensible, a very practical way. Oh, absolutely. It’s very easy to indulge ourselves.
You know, thinking it’s wrong. And then to really indulge in that as if almost as if there’s we think that there may be a way that that purifies of us, us of that act, you know, by in a way indulging ourselves in the negativity of the act or in the, I don’t know, feelings associated with the act and the negative act and so on. And that can become quite negative and destructive. And not really, you know, lead to a lessening of the afflicted states inside. Here in applying the four opponent powers, it’s very, very important to generate regret.
And also the other one, repudiation of the action. These really go hand in hand. Repudiating the negative act, understanding what is faulty with it, And then the commitment, the third opponent power. The commitment, never to commit the action again. Those two are most important together.
That is this type of regret repudiation that goes together, the commitment never to commit those actions again. And very strongly develop those, and then the fourth opponent power to do something to purify it. And then leave it at that, then rejoice at the end of that. It’s almost there should be another almost another opponent’s power, the fifth one, to rejoice. Really make oneself rejoice at the end.
I’ve done something positive here. Then to rejoice, I’ve purified this negative act. And then repudiation here is finding fault with the action. And once the fault they really go hand in hand. But once the fault is found and is understood, then the regret will arise.
Until we see the fault, the regret doesn’t arise. Otherwise, it’s sort of a we may, in general, think, yeah, it’s something that I should regret. But it has to be go beyond that to the point of really understanding the fault of it. That may take some time to do. It may take many years just to be able to see the fault.
Because often it’s the case that we sort of stand outside the situation to some degree and we we think, oh, yeah. That that’s a negative action. But without really understanding why it’s negative to the point where, you know, oh, that’s how it is. That yeah. I should not should not have done that.
The regret then is already there. We don’t have to generate the regret. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Absolutely. Regret, we positive regret we need, but, yeah, a negative sense of guilt is not, of any use to it. It’s an indulgence in a way. Then we have non attachment. So then the Abhidharmasamuccaya states, what is non attachment?
It is that without attachment to existence and one’s possessions required for existence. It functions to support not engaging in faulty behavior. So that’s self explanatory. What is non attachment? Not being attached to existence and one’s possessions required for existence.
And then it’s defined as it is that cognition free of disappointment and attachment. So attachment, in a way, already carries along with it a fair weight of disappointment. It’s almost it’s either attachment is either current disappointment or future disappointment. It’s almost one could almost sense it, you know, when it’s when it rises. Oh, it just seems like a positive, but it’s really just it’s it’s what?
The seed of disappointment. That’s interesting. The feelings of the feeling is what leads to the attachment. From the feeling comes the attachment. Isn’t it?
No. Oh, it first comes a feeling, then the attachment. No. The attachment the attachment will attachment can never bring happiness or even can attachment actually generate a positive feeling? This needs to be examined.
Actually, what the positive feeling is coming from is our past positive actions. In other words, the past eleven virtuous mental factors. Any moment of happiness we have is not coming from an external object that we’re attached to. It’s only coming from our past generation of faith, non attachment, etcetera, the other. But we have a particular feeling arising in relation to an object.
And then we like the feeling, then attachment arises to the feeling. And we want to perpetuate the feeling. Then absolutely. Yeah. Attachment is very much focused or it’s associated with the feeling.