Nourishment and Denourishment
One way the Buddha framed our work on the path was in terms of feeding, nourishment, and nutriment – visceral images that evoke a basic human need. Many of us take care with the food we ingest, choosing healthful and appealing dishes when possible. Are we equally concerned with what our mind and heart “consume” in the form of thoughts, intentions, emotions, and even the quality of our attention? It is in our inner world that suffering, happiness, and freedom manifest.
Most of us want a mind that is easy to live with, which might include such qualities as healthy and well-nourished. The Buddha taught about this in a sutta that offers teachings both through its structure and its content.
The Sutta
In SN 46.51, the Buddha talks about two major sets of mental qualities that are opposite: The five hindrances – representing the unwholesome states that drag us down – and the seven factors of awakening – the skillful and beautiful qualities that emerge from mindfulness practice conducted with wisdom. Specifically, he talks in terms of “nutriment” (āhāro) and “denourishment” (anāhāro) – also called “fueling” and “starving.”
[For reference, these are, respectively: Sensual desire, ill will, sloth & torpor, restlessness & remorse, and doubt; and mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.]
It is worth reading the whole sutta because its repetitive structure impacts the mind. In fact, the structure itself is teaching us.
The Buddha first talks about nutriments for each of the five hindrances and seven factors of awakening, and then about denourishments for each. But of course, we would want to nourish the factors of awakening but denourish the hindrances. So, we see up front that “nourishment” as a concept is not always positive, even though that word sounds appealing. We are prompted to think about the possibility that we might be “nourishing” something unbeneficial. We will have to pay attention.
As an example, according to the sutta, the nutriment for ill will is “frequently giving careless attention to the sign of the repulsive,” while the denourishment for ill will is “frequently giving careful attention to the liberation of mind by lovingkindness.” The nutriment for energy is “frequently giving careful attention to the element of arousal, the element of endeavor, and the element of exertion,” and the denourishment is “not giving careful attention” to those three elements.
It is easy to see that attention is the whole key – the Pāli words here are yoniso manāsikāra (careful attention) and ayoniso manāsikāra (careless attention). The sutta does not say that “X, Y, and Z” are the nutriment; it says that careful/careless attention to X, Y, and Z is the nutriment.
This sheet has a summary of the nutriments and denourishments named in the sutta.
This is worth reflecting on. In your sitting practice, if you find the mind continually caught up in ill will, the sutta suggests looking at what you are paying attention to that is prolonging (nourishing) those thoughts. Are you inadvertently paying repeated attention to some aspect that is unpleasant (“the sign of the repulsive”)? Perhaps if you simply shifted your attention to some other aspect of experience, the ill will would fade away.
It’s pragmatic; we could look for the factors in the table and consider our relationship to them. Indeed, we might not have thought about sensual desire in terms of “sign of the beautiful” – that is, focusing our attention on the enticing aspects of something, such that our attachment is stoked. Don’t get tripped up by the unusual-sounding language; the Buddha meant for us to reflect in order to understand this teaching, and it is not beyond our ability to observe and know what stokes sensual desire and hence what “the sign of the beautiful” refers to.
Some of the factors are not so specific and read like this sample:
And what is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt? There are things that are the basis for doubt: frequently giving careless attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt.
The first time I read this sutta, I felt put off by the vague phrase “things that are the basis for doubt.” What things? What does that mean? But that is the very point. We are asked to look into our own mind and discover what factors increase doubt for us. Further, we are to notice how we pay careless attention to these things – for instance, by believing them or by not noticing how they invoke stories, emotions, and thoughts. In this sense, the sutta is a lesson in seeing for yourself and learning about your own tendencies.
The sutta seems mostly aimed at sitting practice, but I think we can apply it more widely. We could visit a bakery and let our eyes roam greedily over each sweet treat. With our mouth watering and our attention focused on the cookies, we might not even hear what our friend is saying. We could also visit the bakery with calm awareness of the goodies behind the glass, and proceed to buy just one slice of pie to take to our partner who is home sick. As the sutta says, “attending carelessly” to objects that evoke greed, such as eagerly staring at all the cakes, will tend to increase sensual lust. Guarding the sense doors with mindfulness starves this lust, as would the more active practice of reflecting on the downsides of too much cake.
Beyond the Sutta
The later commentarial texts fill out more detail, often 5 or 10 specific conditions, for the two (desirable) cases of denourishing the hindrances and nourishing the factors of awakening. This is helpful on the one hand. However, on the other hand, there is something subtle and important about the sutta version in encouraging us to explore our own mental landscape and discover our own “things that are the basis” for wholesome and unwholesome qualities.
Specific examples include “personal cleanliness” as a support for both investigation and tranquility, and “good friends” and “suitable talk” as a way to starve all the hindrances. We are also encouraged in various reflections and in “inclining the mind” toward the cultivation of wholesome states. (See the sheet referenced above – the bullet point items come from the commentaries).
Also, the body can be a great support for this practice of nourishing the right things and denourishing the right things. With mindfulness, we can sense the tension of holding versus the ease of allowing experience to unfold. Inclining toward ease will naturally support what is wholesome. This kind of training also fosters a deeper understanding of our mind-body system.
It's good to improve our diet. Although the mind cannot be completely controlled, having some ability to manage upwellings of hindrances and to direct the mind toward wholesomeness, balance, and ease relate to what is called “mastery of the mind.” The image of nourishment helps us think in terms of feeding our mind and heart well. As we gain mastery, we gain happiness. A practitioner I spoke with recently spontaneously noted that meditative joy and tranquility feel “nutritious” for the mind.
There is more to the teachings that use the simile of nourishment, nutriment, and feeding. Because eating is such a visceral and necessary activity for us, it easily evokes craving. Some of the teachings on nourishment strike even more deeply at our tendency to crave not only physical food, but also certain mental states. We won’t discuss these teachings here, but if you are interested, check out SN 12.63.
A Gradual Training
We don’t just let go completely in one step. As long as we are alive, we have to eat – feeding both the body and the mind. So, we indeed try to eat well, but with the wisdom that craving easily comes along with eating. The teachings on nutriment help us let go of that which is genuinely unhealthy, as well as gradually release our attachment even to that which is healthy. Then we experience the greatest health possible in this human life.
One way the Buddha framed our work on the path was in terms of feeding, nourishment, and nutriment – visceral images that evoke a basic human need. Many of us take care with the food we ingest, choosing healthful and appealing dishes when possible. Are we equally concerned with what our mind and heart “consume” in the form of thoughts, intentions, emotions, and even the quality of our attention? It is in our inner world that suffering, happiness, and freedom manifest.
Most of us want a mind that is easy to live with, which might include such qualities as healthy and well-nourished. The Buddha taught about this in a sutta that offers teachings both through its structure and its content.
The Sutta
In SN 46.51, the Buddha talks about two major sets of mental qualities that are opposite: The five hindrances – representing the unwholesome states that drag us down – and the seven factors of awakening – the skillful and beautiful qualities that emerge from mindfulness practice conducted with wisdom. Specifically, he talks in terms of “nutriment” (āhāro) and “denourishment” (anāhāro) – also called “fueling” and “starving.”
[For reference, these are, respectively: Sensual desire, ill will, sloth & torpor, restlessness & remorse, and doubt; and mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.]
It is worth reading the whole sutta because its repetitive structure impacts the mind. In fact, the structure itself is teaching us.
The Buddha first talks about nutriments for each of the five hindrances and seven factors of awakening, and then about denourishments for each. But of course, we would want to nourish the factors of awakening but denourish the hindrances. So, we see up front that “nourishment” as a concept is not always positive, even though that word sounds appealing. We are prompted to think about the possibility that we might be “nourishing” something unbeneficial. We will have to pay attention.
As an example, according to the sutta, the nutriment for ill will is “frequently giving careless attention to the sign of the repulsive,” while the denourishment for ill will is “frequently giving careful attention to the liberation of mind by lovingkindness.” The nutriment for energy is “frequently giving careful attention to the element of arousal, the element of endeavor, and the element of exertion,” and the denourishment is “not giving careful attention” to those three elements.
It is easy to see that attention is the whole key – the Pāli words here are yoniso manāsikāra (careful attention) and ayoniso manāsikāra (careless attention). The sutta does not say that “X, Y, and Z” are the nutriment; it says that careful/careless attention to X, Y, and Z is the nutriment.
This sheet has a summary of the nutriments and denourishments named in the sutta.
This is worth reflecting on. In your sitting practice, if you find the mind continually caught up in ill will, the sutta suggests looking at what you are paying attention to that is prolonging (nourishing) those thoughts. Are you inadvertently paying repeated attention to some aspect that is unpleasant (“the sign of the repulsive”)? Perhaps if you simply shifted your attention to some other aspect of experience, the ill will would fade away.
It’s pragmatic; we could look for the factors in the table and consider our relationship to them. Indeed, we might not have thought about sensual desire in terms of “sign of the beautiful” – that is, focusing our attention on the enticing aspects of something, such that our attachment is stoked. Don’t get tripped up by the unusual-sounding language; the Buddha meant for us to reflect in order to understand this teaching, and it is not beyond our ability to observe and know what stokes sensual desire and hence what “the sign of the beautiful” refers to.
Some of the factors are not so specific and read like this sample:
And what is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt? There are things that are the basis for doubt: frequently giving careless attention to them is the nutriment for the arising of unarisen doubt and for the increase and expansion of arisen doubt.
The first time I read this sutta, I felt put off by the vague phrase “things that are the basis for doubt.” What things? What does that mean? But that is the very point. We are asked to look into our own mind and discover what factors increase doubt for us. Further, we are to notice how we pay careless attention to these things – for instance, by believing them or by not noticing how they invoke stories, emotions, and thoughts. In this sense, the sutta is a lesson in seeing for yourself and learning about your own tendencies.
The sutta seems mostly aimed at sitting practice, but I think we can apply it more widely. We could visit a bakery and let our eyes roam greedily over each sweet treat. With our mouth watering and our attention focused on the cookies, we might not even hear what our friend is saying. We could also visit the bakery with calm awareness of the goodies behind the glass, and proceed to buy just one slice of pie to take to our partner who is home sick. As the sutta says, “attending carelessly” to objects that evoke greed, such as eagerly staring at all the cakes, will tend to increase sensual lust. Guarding the sense doors with mindfulness starves this lust, as would the more active practice of reflecting on the downsides of too much cake.
Beyond the Sutta
The later commentarial texts fill out more detail, often 5 or 10 specific conditions, for the two (desirable) cases of denourishing the hindrances and nourishing the factors of awakening. This is helpful on the one hand. However, on the other hand, there is something subtle and important about the sutta version in encouraging us to explore our own mental landscape and discover our own “things that are the basis” for wholesome and unwholesome qualities.
Specific examples include “personal cleanliness” as a support for both investigation and tranquility, and “good friends” and “suitable talk” as a way to starve all the hindrances. We are also encouraged in various reflections and in “inclining the mind” toward the cultivation of wholesome states. (See the sheet referenced above – the bullet point items come from the commentaries).
Also, the body can be a great support for this practice of nourishing the right things and denourishing the right things. With mindfulness, we can sense the tension of holding versus the ease of allowing experience to unfold. Inclining toward ease will naturally support what is wholesome. This kind of training also fosters a deeper understanding of our mind-body system.
It's good to improve our diet. Although the mind cannot be completely controlled, having some ability to manage upwellings of hindrances and to direct the mind toward wholesomeness, balance, and ease relate to what is called “mastery of the mind.” The image of nourishment helps us think in terms of feeding our mind and heart well. As we gain mastery, we gain happiness. A practitioner I spoke with recently spontaneously noted that meditative joy and tranquility feel “nutritious” for the mind.
There is more to the teachings that use the simile of nourishment, nutriment, and feeding. Because eating is such a visceral and necessary activity for us, it easily evokes craving. Some of the teachings on nourishment strike even more deeply at our tendency to crave not only physical food, but also certain mental states. We won’t discuss these teachings here, but if you are interested, check out SN 12.63.
A Gradual Training
We don’t just let go completely in one step. As long as we are alive, we have to eat – feeding both the body and the mind. So, we indeed try to eat well, but with the wisdom that craving easily comes along with eating. The teachings on nutriment help us let go of that which is genuinely unhealthy, as well as gradually release our attachment even to that which is healthy. Then we experience the greatest health possible in this human life.
