We See Liking and Disliking Just As They Are

The mind gives rise to liking, and it also gives rise to disliking. These movements appear and disappear according to conditions, just like natural phenomena. When spring comes, we know it as spring; when summer comes, we know it as summer. In the same way, we first learn to notice the weather of the mind just as it is.

The deeper problem is often not liking or disliking itself, but the second mind that follows. When a pleasant feeling appears and we say, “I must have this,” it becomes attachment. When an unpleasant feeling appears and we say, “This must disappear,” it becomes aversion. When the mind creates another reaction on top of the first one, suffering grows deeper.

Practice, therefore, is not the work of erasing emotion. When love appears, know that love has appeared. When dislike appears, know that dislike has appeared. But do not stay there making a fixed self, a fixed other, and a larger story. What arises through conditions can also be allowed to pass through conditions.

Breath meditation works in the same way. When the breath comes in, know that it comes in. When it goes out, know that it goes out. We do not add “good” or “bad,” “I did well” or “I failed.” We simply know the phenomenon that is happening now. Thoughts and emotions in the mind can be seen in the same way.

Today’s practice is not forcing the mind into obedience. It is learning to know the mind clearly. Look carefully at each condition, and do not create unnecessary attachment or aversion on top of it. When we notice liking and disliking as they pass, the mind slowly returns to its natural flow.