Living Mechanically

A machine does what it is programmed to do until itIf the mind loves something, it holds on to it. If it hates
eventually breaks down. Until then, it repeats its limited,something, it repels it. And within all this pushing and
repetitive actions endlessly.shoving is the pursuit of pleasure and the attempted
As human beings we are programmed as well, by ouravoidance of pain.
culture, our traditions, our education, but mostWhen the mind is attracted to something, it immediately
importantly by our minds. There is usually very little thatattaches to it, craves it, clings to it like a fly stuck on
is unique about any of us.flypaper. However, even though the pleasure derived
Some of us raise families, some live alone. Some willfrom the initial attachment and attraction dissipates
kill, others will heal. But these are not differences; theseover time, letting go is difficult because withdrawal
are merely the pursuit of pleasure played out incould be painful, possibly due to commitments made, or
different ways.just plain greed. So the mind becomes stuck.
So we all live mechanically, driven by our pursuits ofBut what about a mind that understands itself and
pleasure that equate to happiness whenever thatresists pursuing that which it is attracted to? Will this
pleasure is fulfilled, and sadness when our pleasure iskind of restraint lead to something different, perhaps to
withdrawn. "Wanting" is our primary program, and asa different kind of happiness than a happiness derived
long as we pursue wants, we live mechanically.from clinging and attachment, which is no happiness at
This is played out every day in societies all over theall?
world. Wherever we go, we find people raising childrenExperiencing this different kind of happiness negates a
and working, or trying to find work, and if there is nomechanical life. No longer answering the bell like a
work then the idle time is spent in insurrection andconditioned Pavlov dog, the mind is now operating with
terror. It is all so predictable and mechanical whendiscernment and wisdom instead of merely living in
following pursuits of pleasure.images. It now can see clearly each move and its
No different from machines, we continue to seekconsequences, and in this new awareness lies the
pleasure until we break down; until we no longer havecomplete happiness that never erodes and is not
the energy or capacity to chase after our pleasures.dependent on pleasures.
Then we face persistent discontent resulting fromThis awakened mind, no longer attaching or averting,
pleasure withheld.becomes free from all of that. Free from the judging
Before our equipment actually breaks down, what ifand never-ending evaluating that causes nothing but
we no longer sought pleasure? What if we, forconflict. In this new found freedom, the mind's field of
example, became celibate like a Buddhist monk or nunawareness now expands to include so many new
while our bodies were still in peak physical condition?things that were before hidden when the mind was
What happens when we withhold our pleasure and nototally occupied with the pursuit of pleasure.
longer concern ourselves with pleasure's fruition; whichThis mind now has the capability of going beyond the
is happiness?material, beyond the machinery of existence, and
When we seek pleasure, do we at the end of ittoward that inexpressible, ineffable reality that saints
always find pain when the pleasure ceases? Andwhisper about. Now the mind lives spontaneously, not
realizing that, does our pursuits of pleasure become sofearing the past or future, and in a new reality void of
neurotic, addictive and mechanical that we never allowthe images and shadows of the former mind.
a lull between our pleasurable experiences? Just thinkAnd then mind itself disappears.
of the pressure that creates for us.      Anagarika eddie is a meditation teacher at
The resulting happiness that pleasure creates when itthe Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation Retreat
is satisfied never lasts, and therefore requires moreSanctuary and author of “A Year to
and more pleasure until we truly become a pleasureEnlightenment.” His 30 years of meditation
seeking machine, just to allay the pain when pleasure isexperience has taken him across four continents
absent. Once we can see this in ourselves, wouldn't itincluding two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced
be natural for us to question whether there ain the remote northeast forests as an ordained
happiness not bound to pleasure, since pleasure is noThervada Buddhist monk.
more than an addictive drug? If there was a happinessHe lived at Wat Pah Nanachat under Ajahn Chah,
beyond pleasure, could our mindless and endlessat Wat Pah Baan Taad under Ajahn Maha
pursuits of pleasure cease, where we could haveBoowa, and at Wat Pah Daan Wi Weg under Ajahn
some peace and real contentment in our frantic lives?Tui. He had been a postulant at Shasta Abbey, a
This happiness not bound to pleasure; would it trulyZen Buddhist monastery in northern California under
sustain itself? And if there is such a thing, wouldn't thatRoshi Kennett; and a Theravada Buddhist
kind of happiness be worth looking into rather thananagarika at both Amaravati Monastery in the UK
living with a temporary, fleeting happiness based onand Bodhinyanarama Monastery in New Zealand,
pleasure that must be renewed minute by minute forboth under Ajahn Sumedho. The author has
the rest of our lives?meditated with the Korean
The mind that seeks pleasure is not as complex as itMaster Sueng Sahn Sunim; with
initially appears. Actually, it is rather straightforward. ItBhante Gunaratana at the Bhavana Society in West
simply recognizes objects in its field of awareness andVirginia; and with the Tibetan Master
either feels neutral toward them, which requires noTrungpa Rinpoche in Boulder, Colorado. He has also
action, or loves them and feels compelled to possesspracticed at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre,
them, or hates them and feels compelled to push themMassachusetts, and the Zen Center in San
away.Francisco.