Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Is There Such A Thing As Unintentional Thoughts - Dhamma Wheel
Is There Such A Thing As Unintentional Thoughts - Dhamma Wheel
- Dhamma Wheel
Dhamma Wheel
Search
Search
FAQ
Register
Login
Post Reply
12 posts
Page 1 of
1
But is it possible to think, e.g. an unwholesome thought, without any intention behind it?
Upasaka Sumana
Posts: 891
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2009
2:53 pm
Location: Manchester, UK
Contact:
C
o
n
t
a
c
t
U
p
a
s
a
k
a
S
u
m
a
n
a
Reductor
Posts: 1330
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009
6:52 am
P.S. To clarify the purpose of my question: sometimes I have unwholesome thoughts, and
immediately after that I ask myself "Did I really mean to think this?"... So I wonder whether
such thoughts are bad kamma.
Do not think lightly of evil, saying, "It will not come to me." A drop at a time is the water pot filled. Likewise,
the fool, gathering it little by little, fills himself with evil.
Do not think lightly of good, saying, "It will not come to me." A drop at a time is the water pot filled. Likewise,
the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.
Gotama Buddha, Dhammapada 121-122
o
p
If so, then I think that there are no unintentional thoughts, but they may seem so if we were
not paying enough attention to their source. If we notice some feature about a person that is
similar to another person we know, who we had a romantic relationship with, then we will be
vaguely aware of that similarity - but if we give rise a verbal thought based on that similarity,
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
o
p
ground
Posts: 2592
Joined: Wed Nov 25,
2009 6:01 am
It is possible to do an unintentional, unwholesome deed, like stepping on ants you didn't see
were there.
But is it possible to think, e.g. an unwholesome thought, without any intention behind it?
Based on habituation a thought may arise in certain situation without the subject being actively
involved.
Stefan wrote:
Stefan wrote:
P.S. To clarify the purpose of my question: sometimes I have unwholesome thoughts, and
immediately after that I ask myself "Did I really mean to think this?"... So I wonder whether
such thoughts are bad kamma.
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
If at the moment of the arising of the unwholesome thought you are mindful and notice that it
is false and block it then there is no negative karma. Negative karma is taking a liking to an
unwholesome thought and nourish it.
Kind regards
o
p
cooran
Posts: 8182
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009
11:32 pm
Location: Queensland,
Australia
it
jcsuperstar
Posts: 1915
Joined: Wed Dec 31,
2008 5:15 am
Location: alaska
Contact:
C
o
n
t
a
c
t
j
c
s
u
p
e
r
s
t
a
r
when you sit and meditate, do you intentionally cause everyone one of those distracting
thoughts to come up? do you say to yourself, "now lets be distracted"?
on days when you wake up happy or maybe you wake up sad with thoughts of a lost friend or
past love, where you intentionally trying to be happy or sad? did you say to yourself 'haven't
been depressed in a bit, lets feel crappy today"?
what about dreams, those are thoughts..
at some point we set up the causes or conditions for every thought that pops into our heads; if
we didn't go to that film we'd never seen the scene we think about later, if we never made a
certain friend we'd never think back on certain occasion with sadness or joy, if we don't kill
our self Tuesday we have all of the experiences of the next week to have thoughts about
them, but is that really intention?
Last edited by jcsuperstar on Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you-
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
with metta
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time-----Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe-----It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it --o
p
meindzai
Posts: 595
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009
8:10 pm
It is possible to do an unintentional, unwholesome deed, like stepping on ants you didn't see
were there.
But is it possible to think, e.g. an unwholesome thought, without any intention behind it?
And what about speech?
P.S. To clarify the purpose of my question: sometimes I have unwholesome thoughts, and
immediately after that I ask myself "Did I really mean to think this?"... So I wonder whether
such thoughts are bad kamma.
I think there is an element of intention behind *everything* we say and think, but it can be at a
very subtle level. Even our breathing is "bodily fabrication." I think this implies there's an
intention behind it. Perhaps the craving for bodily existence.
I believe there is a Dhammapada story (non-canonical) where an arahant steps on some bugs
and kills them. Some other monks blame him but the Buddha maintains that since this monk
was an arahant, there was no evil intention behind this act.
In other cases though, there might be a lack of mindfuless - which is not as bad as intentional
killing, but it would have been better to tread carefully. A lot of the vinaya rules seem to have
to do more with this principal than of intentional misdeeds.
-M
o
p
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
o
Hello
Stefan, all,
s
t
cooran
Posts: 8182
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009
11:32 pm
Location: Queensland,
Australia
I believe there is a Dhammapada story (non-canonical) where an arahant steps on some bugs and
kills them. Some other monks blame him but the Buddha maintains that since this monk was an
arahant, there was no evil intention behind this act.
cooran
Posts: 8182
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009
11:32 pm
Location: Queensland,
Australia
Hello meindzai,
The story is explaining the most famous verse of the Dhammapada ~ Verse 1. But the main
point is that he was blind - there was no intention.
Chapter 1 - Yamaka 1 Vagga The Twin Verses (Text and Translation by Ven. Narada)
1. Manopubbangama dhamma 2
manosettha manomaya
Manasa ce padutthena
bhasati va karoti va
Tato nam dukkhamanveti
cakkam'va vahato padam. 1.
EVIL BEGETS EVIL
1. Mind is the forerunner of (all evil) states. 3 Mind is chief; mind-made are they.
If one speaks or acts with wicked mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
upset. Anyway I went and asked Venerable Dhammajiva how to put an end to this papanca and
he said something along the lines of:
BlackBird
Posts: 1872
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009
12:07 pm
Location: New Zealand
"These thoughts are always there, but you're the one who's paying attention to them. They're
like a bunch of hooligans standing at your door, every time they knock you go and answer the
door and then they harass you. So it's up to you whether you open the door or not. Aren't you
getting tired of opening the door so they can play the same old tricks on you? So don't worry
about papanca - Just stop opening the door."
metta
Jack
"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords
with the Dhamma is this:
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
But is it possible to think, e.g. an unwholesome thought, without any intention behind it?
And what about speech?
I think it is as entirely possible to the exact same degree that it is impossible to be 100%
mindfull 100% of the time.
o
p
Stuart
Posts: 28
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010
7:24 pm
Location: London, UK.
There was a time when I was thinking a lot of unwholesome thoughts, I mean I would be sitting
there meditating and a whole host of really nasty things would come up. I was getting quite
upset. Anyway I went and asked Venerable Dhammajiva how to put an end to this papanca and
he said something along the lines of:
"These thoughts are always there, but you're the one who's paying attention to them. They're
like a bunch of hooligans standing at your door, every time they knock you go and answer the
door and then they harass you. So it's up to you whether you open the door or not. Aren't you
getting tired of opening the door so they can play the same old tricks on you? So don't worry
about papanca - Just stop opening the door."
metta
Jack
This is also my view - treat them just the same way as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch - out
there - external to the mind - some pleasant, others not so pleasant. They are there, but we
don't have to engage with them when they come knocking on the sense doors. Maybe just to
know them (and develop metta towards the less pleasant ones) is enough.
Whatever you do, don't think of an elephant
Stuart
xxx
Sort by Post
Post time
time
Post Reply
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]
Ascending
Ascending
o
p
Go
12 posts
Page 1 of
1
Jump to
WHO IS ONLINE
Users browsing this forum: Baidu [Spider], Bing [Bot], dhammapal, Google [Bot] and 9 guests
Google Saffron, Theravada Search Engine
Board index
GZIP: Off
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4099&p=60429[24/8/2558 19:01:11]