The 'Word' for 2025 with Delson Armstrong-Sunday Series at DSMC

The word of the year for 2025 is contentment. So why contentment? When you look at the Eightfold Path, you have something known as right intention, and there are three parts to right intention. The first one is nekkhama, which generally translates as renunciation. The second is non-ill will, and the third is non-cruelty. So non-ill will is essentially cultivated through love and kindness, the practice of loving kindness, and non-cruelty is cultivated through the practice of compassion. So this nekkhama, or renunciation, is essentially cultivated through contentment. So what do we mean by contentment? Contentment is essentially where you have a level of awareness of having enough, having had your fill, whatever that might be. And that's why I like to use the word contentment for renunciation, because yes, renunciation is important, and it's an important element of understanding how to let go.

Whenever we let go, or are renouncing our identification with that thing, we're renouncing our attachment or aversion to that object, and in its place there is contentment. But when you use contentment as a perhaps object of meditation, or a tool for cultivation, then it actually bypasses the whole process. Don't go. It bypasses the whole process of attachment, aversion, or identification, because there's no movement of the mind towards grasping and owning something, there's no movement of the mind towards pushing away or having aversion towards it, there's no movement of the mind to want to own something as me, mine, or myself. It's just contentment. In some sense, contentment is non-craving. Contentment is a mind that is free of any kind of push, pull, or holding on to.

There's another aspect of contentment which you can understand through the process of disenchantment. Oftentimes, when we use the word disenchantment, sometimes it's used as disillusionment, and sometimes it's used as revulsion. The translation for disenchantment, which comes from the word nibbida, can sometimes be translated as revulsion. But that has a bit of an aversive quality in that word. It's more like we're kind of pushing it away, rather than seeing that we've had enough. So when you are, for example, in the eighth jhana, or when you are in quiet mind, the mind starts to settle into itself. And certain kinds of proto-thoughts arise, these formations arise, different kinds of images, different kinds of ideas, different kinds of words, possibly disconnected images, disconnected

memories, so-called distant memories, that feel like they're from a previous life or a different life or something like that. Eventually the mind gets tired of that. That's the disenchantment. And sometimes the mind wants to look into an experience, wants to explore, wants to do something with it. My instruction has always been, for the most part, for somebody who is in the quiet mind: literally do nothing. Only when you notice that the mind is caught up in the storm of thoughts, you recognize that, and you relax back into quiet mind. But what happens is, because the mind is so enamored, or so interested, so engaged with all of these different thought processes, or can be that, eventually it tires itself out and it says, you know what, I've had enough. That's a kind of contentment as well.

I'm content with just being here in this presence of mind, in this present moment, in this quiet state of mind. And I'm not bored by it. I'm not feeling tired or dulled out. I'm not feeling restless. I'm not anticipating. I'm not waiting. I'm not expecting. I'm just here, totally content in every passing moment in this quiet state of mind. This is detached. This enchantment, which leads to detachment, which leads to that, this passion, and that this passion is a stronger form of contentment in which it remains unshaken. It is unshakable. Whatever comes to it, it just passes right through, as if the mind were a sieve through which different liquids and materials go through. Nothing sticks in the mind. And when you least expect it, the mind completely stops. That is cessation, and the mind then makes contact with nibbana and then comes back online, and so on and so forth. So contentment, if you have this attitude of contentment throughout your

practice. Right now I am in the first jhana. I'm just starting out, I'm in the first jhana, but I'm content being there, and that's okay. Yes, in some of the suttas the Buddha does mention a noble disciple, or a disciple of the noble ones, who will look at the first jhana and understand it to be possessed of the three characteristics. One might notice that there is a higher state to go into, and thereby intentions to go to that state, the second jhana. But let's say that's for a more advanced student, somebody who understands that these perceptions of the first jhana are too coarse, as one sutta is saying: let me get into the second jhana. But these perceptions of the second jhana are too coarse, and likewise with the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, and then finally into cessation.

But if we are not there yet, then we just use a level of contentment, because what does that do? It allows you to fully seep into the experience of whatever jhana you're experiencing. It's not you being absorbed, it's not you being one-pointed, it's just you being content with that experience. And when you are content enough with that experience, the next experience will, in some sense, show itself, especially with regards to the second and third. Because with the first and second there is a distinction between the first and second insofar as the vitakka and vicara are concerned: that is, the thinking and examining thought of bringing up the object of meditation, and then letting it go, letting go of the intentionalizing of bringing up the object of meditation and staying with the object. In which case the vitakka and vicara, the thinking and examining thought, are replaced by a level of self-confidence in which the mind is smoothly with its object of meditation, and thereby now firmly rooted in the second jhana.

As you continue to progress and you're content with the second jhana, the mind starts to let go of the piti. It becomes content with the piti. It becomes content with the joy, and thereby the joy dissipates, and then there is tranquility and true contentment. There is a happiness and comfort that is present in the mind and body. Likewise with the fourth: when you are content with the third, then that sukha gives way to a deep equanimity and strong mindfulness, and so forth with the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth.

So if you can start to bring contentment into everything that you do, you're doing a few things. You're remaining, or your mind remains, anchored in the present, and thereby there is a certain level of mindfulness that is brought out. You also bypass all aspects of craving, because you're content with whatever is coming. You're allowing things to unfold as they are. You are content with the Dhamma of the moment, that is to say the truth, the reality of this present moment. You're not fighting with it, you're not trying to control it. So that is the word, contentment. Now we'll get into the sutta, unless there are questions about this. Yeah, maybe there are some questions about it. I have to say I did a sitting with that thought, and I just, may I be content, instead of the metta so much, is may I be content, may I be happy, but the mind, it just doesn't go out.

It just stays there, and it just says, oh, it's okay. Even happiness, oh, I'm going to be happy. No, I just... it's happiness with contentment. It's this peace. It's happiness and peace, and the mind gets deeper and deeper. So it's very interesting to bring up in your meditation. Anybody else have any comments? Yeah, Mark. Yeah, that's a wonderful word, and I thought maybe there was a possibility of having some drills, like we do the 6R's for tightness and tension, but we would have something like that that would be to enhance contentment. Hmm, to enhance contentment, it's more content. Yeah, you can never have too much contentment. Yes, greed for contentment. That's a great perspective.

I think if we can kind of remind ourselves to be content also, just being like, where is my mind right now? Can I train it to be relaxed, first and foremost, so that it's free of any tightness and tension? And can I be okay with what's going on? Can I be content with whatever is going on? So it's kind of tied to equanimity as well, in some sense. Anne, you've got a comment? Yeah. We recognize hindrances. We recognize what's wrong with our picture.

But we could also recognize this has happened to me because I keep thinking I'm supposed to be something that I'm not. When sitting, I go, oh, like, and neither perception or non-perception, that when it first happened to me, I felt something was wrong, that I should fix. So learning to recognize what's right, like, I can remember sitting and thinking, may I be happy, and then going, wait a minute, I am happy, I am happy. So recognizing the good states, not just looking for what's wrong. That's a great insight, and that's a great point, actually. If you think about it like that, that's part of the five different kinds, I think it's the five different kinds of recollection, and one of them is our virtue, like thinking about the good things that we've already done in our lives, thinking about the goodness that's already present in our lives, naturally uplifts the mind.

Yeah, I think the point of these phrases, a lot of times it's, may I be happy, may I be this, and it's all about the future. Well, it shouldn't be about the future. That's yet thirsting for some future state. And you can start with that, but then just, I am happy. I am loving kindness, and just become that thing, and then you're fully there. Yeah, recognizing it. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of that old Rolling Stones song that says, I can't get no

satisfaction. Yeah, I can't get satisfaction. Yeah, that's then, this is the opposite. Yeah, they also had, I can't get, um, you can't always get what you want. They had another one of their songs too. Yeah, that's right. I don't get what you need. Um, yeah. This is all going pretty well in meditation, but I guess when you're in everyday life and you're not content with the situation, I guess the way is to do the six R's on that and kind of just let it go, I guess, right? First and foremost. Yes, using the six R's to let it go, and then see if you can even bring any contentment to the situation. Because I think, in some sense, when we six are, we are also aware of the present, we're aware of the present situation, we're aware of our mind in the present.

And we let go of any kind of desire to control it by releasing and relaxing. And we bring a certain level of wholesome states by smiling or bringing up the smile, and in that space there could be just a level of acceptance, a level of contentment, a level of just being completely open to whatever is happening in the situation, or a level of wisdom that allows for a level of wisdom to come through. So any of those states, which are all wholesome, can arise. I don't know about bringing up contentment. It seems like contentment just happens. Yeah, it's just spontaneously. It seems like everything is just spontaneously arising, you know.

Well, in that case, why are we practicing for loving kindness? Then why are we practicing for equanimity? There is some level of cultivation that's required, initially at least. Yeah, well, that's a, that's by a tent. You can bring up an intention you're talking about there, right? You become, you bring up an intention of being content, and then you feel the contentment.

and you stay in it. I have a question about following up in daily life, contentment. Is there really no such a thing? It's like it's too much contentment, because for example, when you talked about micro-dosing in lemon factors, so in that context there's always a balance, right, because you recognize you're here and there, even mindfulness and, you know, whatever. So all things you realize you're here and there, then you balance it out. But for contentment, are you saying there's really no too much contentment? For example, if at some level it felt I'm too content if I don't meditate today, is there anything that you're too content that you'll be off the nibbana autopilot, or can we really go all the way to contentment? You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. So I think when we think about contentment, it's less about not doing something and more about the attitude of being like

okay, I have to do something, but I'm still content with doing that thing. So contentment doesn't keep us in a state of inaction or inactivity necessarily. Contentment is like being okay and fully present with whatever is arising and whatever needs to be done. So I have to be in the first jhana, I'm content with my task of being in the first jhana, and I have no complaints about it. I'm content if I didn't meditate today, even. Right. Yeah. Oh, I missed the meditation, I missed the meditation, it's okay. I don't beat myself up about it. I'm like, okay, there's always a next time when I can meditate, and I'm content with that. Obviously we don't want to use that as an excuse and say, you know what, I'll be content all my time, all my time, and I don't need to meditate. It's

okay. You, anybody else, are you just too content? Oh, and you're not content? I was thinking about that too. Much contentment is, it's like, I often thought too much fun is by definition wouldn't be too much, you know, wouldn't be fun anymore. So much contentment is non-contentment. Um, but I also think contentment is a, I was thinking of Brian's question, you know, I think it isn't spontaneous. It's, I mean, I think of intuition as something that is a result of your brain scanning and gathering data, just like your heart beats and your lung breathes without you. You have this, you're accumulating experiences, and so something in your mind knows or recognizes. So if you're on

discontent, it could, you can either recognize and allow and let go, or you can get into the tar baby of it, you know, get all caught up. So but even that is an experience that you learn from and eventually become this kind of disenchanted with, you know, it's a process. So I don't think it's spontaneous. I think it's cumulative, and then the more you can recognize, the better. Yeah, yeah. And I think the ultimate contentment really is that level of non-craving, where the mind is happy with what it has, the mind is happy with whatever is happening, or at the very least is equanimous towards an aversive experience and has some wisdom in that moment. So it's so interesting about these different terms that we use in order to understand contentment and equanimity and so on. Ultimately we do recognize these states as being one, and first and foremost, spacious in the mind. So any wholesome state that we experience is generally a mind expander rather than a mind constrictor, and an unwholesome state is a mind

constrictor. So if we want, we can definitely splice through, or slice through, I should say, the different wholesome states. But if you can recognize our mind being in a space of, or in a state of, being spacious, being expanded, being accepting, being open, then that's a signal for us to be like, okay, we're heading in the right direction. Thank you.