The skandha of karmic formation, sometimes called just formation or mental construction, generally speaking, contains all the other mental events besides conciousness itself which is the last skandha. This includes our thoughts, happiness, sadness, joy, devotion, and jealousy. These are referred to as samskaras, which to quote Khenpo, "...also has the meaning of predisposition in the sense of tracks left by former deeds that condition one's present thinking and behaviour."
Do we take this stream of juicy stuff to be a self? Can we find anything singular, lasting, and independent in this stream of stuff? Sometimes our emotional habits seem quite strong and very predictable. Does this mean there's something real there which could constitute us? Not taking this skandha to be at least self confirming, let alone defining a self, seems tied quite closely to our overall conviction in the workability of our own mind. We may seem convinced that every time, as predictable as the sunrise, we will get angry when someone presses our button. But, over time, as the button gets pressed and we hold that in the awareness, the button can wear out and we can develop greater wisdom.
It seems very appropriate that this contemplation would come up during Shambhala Assistant Director Training this weekend. We can use this stream of flotsam and jetsam in the samskaras to weave a tight, dank little web of protection (our cocoon) from our own tenderness and the brilliance of the world. Or, we can develop the bravery to rouse ourself, look at this with love and curiosity, and rest in any space of non-finding. Developing trust in the results of our investigation and bravery seem to go hand in hand.
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