A REALLY GOOD IMMUNE SYSTEM
"Many times we blame problems within the mind on things from outside—what other people do, what other people say, the general atmosphere around us, the values we grew up with, the things we learned as children. And these do play a role, but the most important problem is what comes from the mind. Why is it susceptible to those influences? After all, you find some people staying in a certain environment and they're perfectly okay, they pick up no negative influences, while other people get into the same environment and come out all warped. Two kids growing up in the same family hear the same lessons from their parents but take away totally different messages. This is because of what you bring to life when you come, what weak points and what strong points are already there in the mind.
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So you have to focus in on the mind as the main problem. You can’t go blaming things outside.
If the mind had really good powers of resistance, a really good immune system, nothing could stir it to passion, nothing could stir it to anger, nothing could stir it to delusion. Fortunately, you can train the mind develop that immunity. That’s the kind of mind you want to develop. That’s the mind that the Buddha defines as health. This is why the training focuses inside, looking at your own mind and seeing where things set it off. When germs come into the mind, where is your resistance strong and where is it weak?
What is your line of resistance? This is what we’re developing in the meditation: lines of resistance.
Concentration, virtue, generosity: these are all our first lines of resistance against the invading germs…"
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Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Excerpt from "A Good Dose of Medicine"
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You can read the full talk here:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/Meditations1/Section0022.html
or here:
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