Minds and Mental Factors

In his Dhammapada the Buddha says that the mind is the fore-runner of all things, both good and bad: speak or act with an unskillful mind and unhappiness will follow you just as the wheel follows the hoof of the ox; speak or act with a skillful mind and happiness will follow you just as your shadow follows your body.

Our experiences and life-situations are all very much a product of each of our own minds. Without understanding of our minds we have little or no real control over our lives. The study of “Minds and Mental Factors” forms the basis of such an understanding. Here emphasis is on distinguishing skillful states of mind from unskillful ones so that we can cultivate the former and abandon the latter. First there is an explanation of the six primary minds and their relationship to their accompanying mental factors. Then there follows an explanation of the definitions, divisions, and functions of each of the fifty-one mental factors. These explanations help us to recognise and thereby exercise control over our various mental states and thereby the quality of our lives.

Thursdays  7 pm
Facility fee: $10, $8 concession, $7 members

{mos_smf_discuss}