Vipassana Meditation Master Acharavadee Wongsakon
Like rusting iron, corrosion of the mind can occur when the mind is hit with emotions and impurities and left untreated.
The following are nine impurities which corrode and taint the mind.
1. Anger – If the mind is governed heavily by anger, it can lead to killing. If you find yourself to have very short temper, find a remedy fast.
2. Lack of appreciation and gratitude – An ungrateful person hardly appreciates anything or anyone in his life. He believes he is entitled to support and favor from others and the world. His mind is possessed with delusion. This kind of rust is very dangerous because it destroys the core foundation of all virtues.
3. Jealousy – The feeling of jealousy can be so powerful that it drove a highly revered monk to prevent another monk from going to a food-offering ceremony held by a millionaire for fear he would respect the newcomer more than him. He couldn’t control his envy although the millionaire also had high respect for him and built a temple especially for him to stay as an abbot. When the millionaire asked him to bring the food to the visitor, he tossed it away into the fire on the way back to the temple.
When he died, his soul was burning in hell for 10,000 years because that monk was an Arahant, a person whose is completely pure.
4. Stinginess – Those with stingy mind is incapable to sacrificing his possession to others even to pay back their favor. They forget wealth, success, and fame don’t really belong to them as nobody can achieve them alone. They are the results of receiving opportunities. When you give something to poor people or make a donation for an emergency relief, you’re showing gratitude to your Motherland, you’re paying back to the society, and the world at large.
5. Illusion – Those falling victim to illusion don’t care to live an ethical life. They see a donation or giving as a kind of investment. And when they give, it comes with an expectation for a huge return. Instead of striving to gain wisdom to be free from greed, anger, and delusion, their mind is occupied with ways to make material gains.
6. Boastfulness
7. Lies
8. Stealing – This includes corruption, bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and cheating.
9. Wrong view – People who don’t believe in afterlife or the law of Karma will not believe there’s a consequence to their actions either. They live their life carelessly in a way that will easily hurt themselves and others. The only way for them is downward spiral. This is the most terrifying rust of all.
When you realize your mind is rusted with these impurities, the first step is to accept they’re there. Purify your mind with Vipassana meditation. You need a self-discipline to stay above the worldly tides. Do not fall victim to the darkness in your mind. Remember, if you can allow them to stay within you, you can get rid of them too.
