Recognizing Delusion

After observing craving, hatred, and delusion in ourselves and others, many practitioners comment that delusion is the hardest to recognize. I agree with this assessment. It is often easier to notice anger, hatred, resentment, jealousy, craving, and thirst. But delusion…

Here is my suggestion. One practical way to recognize delusion is to observe how we attach “I” and “mine” to phenomena, and how suffering follows from that attachment. Notice the attachment behind thoughts such as “I did,” “I am,” “I have,” and “I must.” The point is not simply the use of the word “I,” but how we take experiences as ourselves or our own.

This attachment becomes most noticeable when we feel that our selfhood, dignity, or pride has been attacked. We feel hurt, the hurt turns into anger, and we may lash out at those we believe have wronged us. Such an experience can leave a mark on the mind for decades.

I will tell you: when this happens, it is an excellent opportunity to see your sense of self. It is there, prominently: “How could they do this to me?” “They have no right to treat me this way.”

Rather than becoming absorbed in what the other person did, observe what is happening in your own mind. What are you holding on to as “me” or “mine”? What do you feel compelled to defend? Can you see how suffering arises as the mind clings to that identification?

Just as we mindfully observe craving and hatred, we can observe this attachment and begin to let it go. Keep watching. You will see more clearly how delusion supports craving and hatred, and how taking phenomena as “I” and “mine” feeds them.

So much becomes important when it is about “me”!