ธรรมและอธรรมเป็นดวงกลมใสสว่างที่ต่างมีคุณสมบัติเฉพาะตัว เมื่อตั้งขึ้นในใจก็ต้องแสดงคุณสมบัตินั้นออกมาให้ปรากฏ นี่คือ "หน้าที่" ของธรรมแต่ละดวง ไม่ว่าจะเป็นความเมตตา ความผ่อนคลาย หรือในทางตรงข้ามคือความโกรธความโลภDhamma and its opposite are both bright, clear spheres, each carrying its own quality. Once either one settles into the mind, it must express that quality outward — this is its "duty," whether it's loving-kindness and ease, or, on the opposite side, anger and greed.
Someone asked: Pra Ajarn once said " is a duty" — this is the first time hearing it put that way. Could you explain?
is a tool of ; its opposite (adhamma) is a tool of . Once dhamma or adhamma settles into the mind, its state arises and radiates outward until we can sense it. For instance, when we settle on ease, a sphere of ease arises. All wholesome spheres share the form of a bright, clear circle, but the quality contained within differs by name — ease, openness, , equanimity. When loving-kindness arises, it releases a current of goodwill that shifts the mind. When we settle on openness, its quality of openness spreads outward. The opposite happens with the unwholesome: when a sphere of aversion arises in the mind, it spreads anger outward. Greed works the same way — once it arises, it spreads a longing for what isn't ours. These qualities always show themselves outwardly — that is the duty each sphere of dhamma must perform.
The Triple Gem works the same way. When we recollect the Triple Gem — the Buddha-jewel, Dhamma-jewel, Sangha-jewel — settling it in the mind, it appears there together with boundless wisdom, boundless , and boundless compassion, its inherent qualities. Once settled in the mind, the Triple Gem's duty is to refine our elements of seeing, remembering, thinking, and knowing, along with the earth, water, wind, fire, space, and consciousness elements, toward cleanliness and purity — the exact opposite of the unwholesome.
Discomfort or boredom are likewise dark spheres. When the unwholesome uses them as tools layered onto the mind, we suddenly feel bored for no apparent reason, unable to trace the cause. That's because the unwholesome has superimposed these states onto the mind, and each state performs its duty of manifesting outwardly. After that boredom arises, the unwholesome's inner voice then points us toward exciting, stimulating things capable of drawing in more demerit.
Living moment to moment is entirely the result of mind (citta) and s (). The mind is the voice within; the mental factor is the emotion that makes us want to follow that inner voice. Every instance of guidance always comes paired with an emotion — lust guiding us toward indulgence must come with the emotion of lust; anger guiding us to rage must come with the emotion of anger; greed guiding us to want must come with the emotion of greed. When voice and emotion combine, that is precisely mind and mental factor at work.