Safety fuses

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe, is in the end, of little consequence.

The only consequence is what we do.

All our volitional actions BEGIN from a thought. Right view leads to Right thoughts which when translated into action becomes Right actions.

To the person not well trained in watching his/her mind, he/she may well act when a thought impulse arises. To control an unwholesome thought from being translated into an unwholesome act, we keep the Precepts! This is our first level safety switch applicable to all levels of trainees.

We are trained in Insight Meditation to note all our arising thoughts, see it and let it go. We do not make it 'OURS' unless we choose to intentionally act on that thought. A passing thought will come every few seconds and being unenlightened beings, there will be many Unwholesome thoughts that will arise. This we note and let go, NOT acting on the unwholesome. We are thus NOT controlled by our thoughts but will act only on the good and wholesome; this is a more refined state of consciousness and a better safety switch but should we lapse in our objective thought awareness, we still have our PRECEPTS as a safety fuse!

The well trained will note his/her thoughts arising and falling away; he/she sees the arising of Latent Defilements clearly when the conditions for them to arise is there. But he/she has learnt to just note and let go, NOT ACTING unless he/she chooses to. There is hence NO Volitional act to create kamma.

The enlightened being has NO defilements, hence NO arising Unwholesome thoughts irrespective of the environment.