The Precision of Buddhist Descriptions
I recently read an article stating that the “leading cause” of car accidents is impatient drivers going around slower ones. That is a neat sound-bite that makes some intuitive sense. But as a longtime Buddhist practitioner, I was also struck by the vagueness of such an assertion. Is this act of going-around really the cause of accidents?
Let’s look more carefully. The Buddha offered clear methods for understanding our experience. What if we apply them – even at quite a top level – to the case of a faster driver coming up behind a slower driver?
Suppose I am the faster driver. I am looking forward at the car in front of me, so there is the act of seeing. It is a simple sensory stimulation that my brain and mind know how to process. Noting the way the colors and lights change, I correctly perceive that the car is traveling much slower than my car. Perhaps I think, “That car is going very slowly!”
Visual contact leads to mental actions: I have thoughts and views about what this situation means. A self is formed: “I am being delayed.” Or perhaps an “other” is formed: “That driver is irritating.” I am not getting to drive at the speed I want to.
These unskillful thoughts and views have an unpleasant feeling tone, which goes unnoticed. It is a powerful, uncomfortable feeling in the body as well as the mind.
Not able to handle this feeling, the mind contracts. The formation of the self/other is a major component of the contraction itself and of maintaining it over time. In such a state, there is very little access to wisdom, kindness, or heedfulness; all of these are blocked. From such a mindstate, it is difficult to understand the consequences of actions.
A whole series of intentions and actions ensue that look on the outside like pulling out to go around the slower car. Possibly the judgment was poor enough that my car collides with another while doing this.
What was the real “cause” of the accident? Clearly, there was a whole series of interrelated conditions. It was not just one thing.
But if I had to choose a “key condition” out of the soup, I would name this one: Not being able to handle the unpleasant feeling tone evoked by my own unskillful thoughts and perceptions. So much comes down to whether or not we can tolerate vedanā (the feeling of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral) with clear awareness.
This is one possible form of a Buddhist analysis or description of the situation, compared to that rather imprecise statement from the article. Note that the Dharma is so much deeper, more precise, and more actionable. This is why I love this practice and think the Buddha was a genius in his understanding of human experience and the mind.
For the most part, we don’t need to go back into the past, trying to understand the much-earlier conditions that may have contributed to our reactivity upon seeing a slow driver. Right in the present moment are the causes of suffering, and right in the present moment, we have sufficient mindfulness to create a choice in our behavior – or we don’t. Strengthening mindfulness is the work of practice. (With mindfulness, we may come to understand the reasons behind our behaviors and thought patterns, but that is more of a side effect. Liberation occurs when the reaction no longer holds power).
Sometimes people seem uncertain about how the Dharma differs from, for instance, a psychological approach. Perhaps this gives some sense of it. How is the above description for you? Do you feel the greater clarity and depth of the second way of looking? It is worth developing the skill of seeing this way, for it can greatly reduce suffering for ourselves and others, and perhaps even prevent a car accident.
I recently read an article stating that the “leading cause” of car accidents is impatient drivers going around slower ones. That is a neat sound-bite that makes some intuitive sense. But as a longtime Buddhist practitioner, I was also struck by the vagueness of such an assertion. Is this act of going-around really the cause of accidents?
Let’s look more carefully. The Buddha offered clear methods for understanding our experience. What if we apply them – even at quite a top level – to the case of a faster driver coming up behind a slower driver?
Suppose I am the faster driver. I am looking forward at the car in front of me, so there is the act of seeing. It is a simple sensory stimulation that my brain and mind know how to process. Noting the way the colors and lights change, I correctly perceive that the car is traveling much slower than my car. Perhaps I think, “That car is going very slowly!”
Visual contact leads to mental actions: I have thoughts and views about what this situation means. A self is formed: “I am being delayed.” Or perhaps an “other” is formed: “That driver is irritating.” I am not getting to drive at the speed I want to.
These unskillful thoughts and views have an unpleasant feeling tone, which goes unnoticed. It is a powerful, uncomfortable feeling in the body as well as the mind.
Not able to handle this feeling, the mind contracts. The formation of the self/other is a major component of the contraction itself and of maintaining it over time. In such a state, there is very little access to wisdom, kindness, or heedfulness; all of these are blocked. From such a mindstate, it is difficult to understand the consequences of actions.
A whole series of intentions and actions ensue that look on the outside like pulling out to go around the slower car. Possibly the judgment was poor enough that my car collides with another while doing this.
What was the real “cause” of the accident? Clearly, there was a whole series of interrelated conditions. It was not just one thing.
But if I had to choose a “key condition” out of the soup, I would name this one: Not being able to handle the unpleasant feeling tone evoked by my own unskillful thoughts and perceptions. So much comes down to whether or not we can tolerate vedanā (the feeling of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral) with clear awareness.
This is one possible form of a Buddhist analysis or description of the situation, compared to that rather imprecise statement from the article. Note that the Dharma is so much deeper, more precise, and more actionable. This is why I love this practice and think the Buddha was a genius in his understanding of human experience and the mind.
For the most part, we don’t need to go back into the past, trying to understand the much-earlier conditions that may have contributed to our reactivity upon seeing a slow driver. Right in the present moment are the causes of suffering, and right in the present moment, we have sufficient mindfulness to create a choice in our behavior – or we don’t. Strengthening mindfulness is the work of practice. (With mindfulness, we may come to understand the reasons behind our behaviors and thought patterns, but that is more of a side effect. Liberation occurs when the reaction no longer holds power).
Sometimes people seem uncertain about how the Dharma differs from, for instance, a psychological approach. Perhaps this gives some sense of it. How is the above description for you? Do you feel the greater clarity and depth of the second way of looking? It is worth developing the skill of seeing this way, for it can greatly reduce suffering for ourselves and others, and perhaps even prevent a car accident.
