Our Real Enemy

[icy]

Anyone who practices the Dharma has a duty to do battle with the enemy--negative emotions. If we wish to achieve ultimate happiness, we have to use the antidote [mindfulness] to fight against this enemy. In doing so, we may encounter difficulties from time to time. But in an ordinary war, the trials and difficulties people go through are accepted and even encourage them to fight harder against the enemy. Moreover, in the ordinary world, a warrior's wounds are considered as signs of bravery, like medals. So as practicing Buddhists fighting this real enemy, whose very nature is harm, we should expect difficulties, and treat them as signs of victory.

[Tenzin K]

"The universe, this world and our own lives are the stage for a ceaseless struggle between hatred and compassion, the destructive and constructive aspects of life." Our challenge, moment by moment, is to continue striving to create maximum value and to never be defeated or give up, regardless of the obstacles we may encounter.

The struggles we face might range from the apparently mundane (summoning the energy to take out the trash or write a letter to an aging relative) to the vast (campaigning to ban nuclear weapons), but the essential challenge is the same. It is to overcome our own weakness, fear or inertia in a given moment and take action for the sake of the happiness of ourselves and others.

Ideally there is no separation between daily life and Buddhism. Exactly like what icy mentioned, to practice mindfulness. To have mindfulness is to know yourself, to know the condition or your mind and your life. This is to have understanding and discernment, to listen to Dharma at all times. After leaving the teacher’s discourse you still hear the Dharma, because the Dharma is everywhere.

So therefore, all of us be sure to practice every day. Whether lazy or diligent, practice just the same. Practice of the Dharma is not done by following your moods. If you practice following your moods then it's not Dharma. Don't discriminate between day and night, whether the mind is peaceful or not... just practice.

Our practice is like this. Try to have recollection at all times: standing, walking, sitting or reclining. When we perform our various duties smoothly and well, we feel peace of mind. When there is peace of mind in our work it's easy to have peaceful meditation, they go hand in hand. So make an effort. You should all make an effort to follow the practice. This is training.

[RedLantern]

"When your mind is trained in self-discipline,even if you are surrounded by hostile forces,your peace of mind will hardly be disturbed.On the other hand,your mental peace and calm can easily be disrupted by your own negative thoughts and emotions.So I repeat,the real enemy is within,not outside.Usually we define our enemy
as a person,an external agent.whom we believe is causing harm to us or to someone we hold clear.Buddhism
such an enemy is relative and impermanent.One moment,,the person may act as an enemy,yet at another moment,he or  she may become your  best friend.This is the truth that we often experience in our own lives.But negative thoughts and emotions,the inner enemy ,will always remain the enemy"
                                                                                                                           H.H Dalai Lama.

All human beings need to deal with their own mind.We have to learn to clean up our own mess.Our society will change into a more enlightened society when there is no more anger,jealousy, hatred towards anybody-and that means ourselves too- no more blaming.

[Midakpa]

The real enemy, the enemy within, are the afflictive emotions."Klesha" in Sanskrit or "nyon mongs" in Tibetan means "that which afflicts from within". It is the confusion that disturbs our mind and causes suffering. These negative emotions are referred to as "defilements". In Buddhist meditation, there is a sixfold and a tenfold list.  The six afflictive emotions that make up the emotional life of the human personality are ignorance (avidya), pride (abhimana),  desire  (raga), anger (pratigha), doubt (vicikitsa) and wrong views (drsti). Afflictive emotions area hindrance to happiness. They can be overcome through meditaton and are completely eliminated by arhats.

[DS Star]

The real enemy, the enemy within, are the afflictive emotions."Klesha" in Sanskrit or "nyon mongs" in Tibetan means "that which afflicts from within". It is the confusion that disturbs our mind and causes suffering. These negative emotions are referred to as "defilements". In Buddhist meditation, there is a sixfold and a tenfold list.  The six afflictive emotions that make up the emotional life of the human personality are ignorance (avidya), pride (abhimana),  desire  (raga), anger (pratigha), doubt (vicikitsa) and wrong views (drsti). Afflictive emotions area hindrance to happiness. They can be overcome through meditaton and are completely eliminated by arhats.

Midakpa, thank you for your brief but clear explanation. Our own "unguarded mind" is our real enemy...

"We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will forllow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unbreakable.

How can a troubled mind
Understand the way?

Your worst enemy cannot harm you
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.

But once mastered,
No one can help you as much,
Not even your father or your mother. "

Dhammapada

[yontenjamyang]

Yes I agree totally that the enemy is within and to overcome it meditation and mindfulness is the methods. But how many can really practice meditations and mindfulness to overcome these afflictive emotions? What are the methods prescribed by the Dharma to do this. No one in this thread has offer a real solution yet.
Actually, in the Vajrayana school of practice, it is prescribed that the main objectives is the accumulations of merits and wisdom and the path is the six paramitas ie generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentrations and wisdom.  The main practice of the six paramitas is the 8 verses of thought transformation. If we need to be mindful, it is through the 8 verses that one needs to be mindful about. It is through these verses that real transformation occurs and the afflictions purified and does not arise as much. Even if they do, the 8 verses act as a shield that bounces away the afflictions. For higher practitioners, afflictions are not noticed even if it arises or the afflictions may be absent.

Hence practice the 8 verses.

[pgdharma]

Negative emotions such as hatred, anger, attachment, and jealousy which reside within our minds are our true enemies. Normally, we do not realize that these delusions are our enemies and so we never confront or challenge them. Since we do not challenge the delusions, they reside within our mind and continue to inflict harm on us at will.

These emotions  can be put to an end. When we realize that these emotions are only temporary, we also realize they can ultimately be overcome. By studying the Dharma and applying the teachings properly in our lives, we can gradually remove even the most stubborn habitual negative emotions.

[Positive Change]

Our real enemy is indeed our minds... it is from whence all doubt, negativity, discontentment, disillusion and wrong views stem from. It is only with Dharma and our accumulated merits can we wade through all the muddled mind.

ALl such negative thoughts often are fueled by our selfishness hence we need to cultivate focusing on others and in time we will curb our monkey mind and achieve some form of equilibrium which will be the compost needed for our spiritual growth.

[vajrastorm]

"In all actions I will examine my mind
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself and others,
I will firmly confront and avert it".

The above verse comes from the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation.
They show us that when we examine our minds, we will see what is causing us tremendous pain and suffering.
Yes, the enemy within is our real enemy,our worst enemy.
These are our negative delusions or mental afflictions. At the root are three poisons - desire, hatred and ignorance. These delusions pull us down because they cause us to commit negative actions and to consequently create negative karma and subsequent unhappiness and misery.

 

[dondrup]

Our real enemies can be classified as maras or demons.  Maras are our enemies because they hinder our progress to liberation and enlightenment.  There are four maras: 

1)   The mara of the delusions
All the suffering that we experience arises as a result of our delusions and the actions we create under their influence. Ignorance, attachment, anger, deluded pride, deluded doubt and deluded view are six root delusions that give rise to other delusions of our mind.

2)   The mara of the aggregates
Aggregates here are the five contaminated aggregates of a person in samsara.  These aggregates are contaminated because they arise as a result of actions contaminated by delusions.  The contaminated aggregates of beings in samsara are the basis of their suffering.  Hence those with the contaminated aggregates of a human being experience the sufferings of a human. We need to completely abandon contaminated aggregates by overcoming rebirth within samsara.

3)   The mara of the Lord of Death
Lord of death is the ordinary uncontrolled death.  Unless we have thoroughly purified our negative actions and gained firm control of our body, speech and mind, we cannot be confident that we shall gain a fortunate rebirth after death. 

4)   Devaputra mara
Devaputra maras are actual beings that interfere with our spiritual progress to liberation and enlightenment.  The most common is the Black Ishvara – a god who abides in the highest state of existence of the desire realm.

Anyone who becomes completely free from these four maras attains full enlightenment and becomes a Buddha.