Two Kinds of Thoughts

In this sutta Buddha talks about 2 kinds of thoughts:

#1. Thoughts of Sensuality, Thoughts of ill will, Thoughts of harm

#2. Thoughts of Non-sensuality, Thoughts of non-ill will (loving-kindness), Thoughts of Non-harm (compassion)

Type #1. Leads to your own affliction or to the affliction of others or to the affliction of both. It obstructs discernment, promotes vexation, & does not lead to Unbinding.

Type #2. Leads neither to your own affliction, nor to the affliction of others, nor to the affliction of both. It fosters discernment, promotes lack of vexation, & leads to Unbinding.

When the thoughts of type #1 arises, he advised us to reflect on the danger of this thoughts (method 2 of the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, please see the post above) and get rid of them.

In his own words: "As I noticed that it leads to my own affliction, it subsided. As I noticed that it leads to the affliction of others... to the affliction of both... it obstructs discernment, promotes vexation, & does not lead to Unbinding, it subsided. Whenever thinking imbued with ill will had arisen, I simply abandoned it, destroyed it, dispelled it, wiped it out of existence."

He also said: "Whatever a one keeps pursuing with his thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness."

Dvedhavitakka Sutta: Two Sorts of Thinking translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.rg/tipitaka/mn/mn.019.than.html

Also please see this beautiful simile from the sutta (click on the title) :There lived a large herd of deer...

So it is possible to change our mind with practice and ultimately change our own behavior pattern, either good or bad. It is a matter of shift in the thinking pattern in the mind and with practice speech and bodily action will follow. To begin with it may be nice if we can implement thoughts of loving kindness, non-ham in our society too. It will be more effective if we start this at an early age, like an early childhood education program in schools. If this happens in the future we should see less of these horrible school shootings, murders and other violence we in our society today. The key is the practice of loving-kindness (see labels). It is not difficult and it will benefit you and people around you too.

Also Note: This sutta is basically an expansion (both Wrong Intention and the Right Intention) of the second step in the Noble Eightfold Path (The Right Intention*). Please see the link below.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html#ch2

*

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

Just like a sappy piece of timber lying in the water...

Suppose there were a wet, sappy piece of timber lying in the water, and a man were to come along with an upper fire-stick, thinking, 'I'll light a fire. I'll produce heat.' Now what do you think? Would he be able to light a fire and produce heat by rubbing the upper fire-stick in the wet, sappy timber lying in the water?"

"No, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because the timber is wet & sappy, and besides it is lying in the water. Eventually the man would reap only his share of weariness & disappointment."


"So it is with any priest or contemplative who does not live withdrawn from sensuality* in body & mind, and whose desire, infatuation, urge, thirst, & fever for sensuality is not relinquished & stilled within** him: Whether or not he feels painful, racking, piercing feelings due to his striving [for Awakening], he is incapable of knowledge, vision, & unexcelled self-awakening."

Note:
* Indulgence in sensuality from out side is compared to water in this simile
** Desire within is compared to the wet sappy timber in this simile

Saccaka Sutta: The Longer Discourse to Saccaka
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Not even if it rained gold coins...

Not even if it rained gold coins would we have our fill of sensual pleasures.
'Stressful, they give little enjoyment' — knowing this, the wise one finds no delight even in heavenly sensual pleasures. He is one who delights in the ending of craving, a disciple of the Rightly Self-Awakened One.

-Dhammapada

Sensuality is like picking fruits off a tree...

"Now suppose that, not far from a village or town, there were a dense forest grove, and there in the grove was a tree with delicious fruit, abundant fruit, but with no fruit fallen to the ground. A man would come along, desiring fruit, looking for fruit, searching for fruit. Plunging into the forest grove, he would see the tree... and the thought would occur to him, 'This is a tree with delicious fruit, abundant fruit, and there is no fruit fallen to the ground, but I know how to climb a tree. Why don't I climb the tree, eat what I like, and fill my clothes with the fruit?' So, having climbed the tree, he would eat what he liked and fill his clothes with the fruit. Then a second man would come along, desiring fruit, looking for fruit, searching for fruit and carrying a sharp ax. Plunging into the forest grove, he would see the tree... and the thought would occur to him, 'This is a tree with delicious fruit, abundant fruit, and there is no fruit fallen to the ground, and I don't know how to climb a tree. Why don't I chop down this tree at the root, eat what I like, and fill my clothes with the fruit?' So he would chop the tree at the root. What do you think: If the first man who climbed the tree didn't quickly come down, wouldn't the falling tree crush his hand or foot or some other part of his body, so that he would meet with death from that cause, or with death-like pain?"

"Yes, lord."

"In the same way, householder, a disciple of the noble ones considers this point: 'The Blessed One has compared sensuality to the fruits of a tree, of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks.' Seeing this with right discernment, as it actually is present, then avoiding the equanimity coming from multiplicity, dependent on multiplicity, he develops the equanimity coming from singleness, dependent on singleness, where sustenance/clinging for the baits of the world ceases without trace.

Potaliya Sutta: To Potaliya

Contemplation of the body...as a cave

Staying attached to the cave,
covered heavily over,
a person sunk in confusion
is far from seclusion — 
for sensual pleasures
sensual desires
in the world
are not lightly let go.

Guhatthaka Sutta-The Cave of the Body
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.4.02.than.html

The hawk that went out of his territory ...

"Once a hawk suddenly swooped down on a quail and seized it. Then the quail, as it was being carried off by the hawk, lamented, 'O, just my bad luck and lack of merit that I was wandering out of my proper range and into the territory of others! If only I had kept to my proper range today, to my own ancestral territory, this hawk would have been no match for me in battle.'

"'But what is your proper range?' the hawk asked. 'What is your own ancestral territory?'

"'A newly plowed field with clumps of earth all turned up.'

"So the hawk, without bragging about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, let go of the quail. 'Go, quail, but even when you have gone there you won't escape me.'

"Then the quail, having gone to a newly plowed field with clumps of earth all turned up and climbing up on top of a large clump of earth, stood taunting the hawk, 'Now come and get me, you hawk! Now come and get me, you hawk!'

"So the hawk, without bragging about its own strength, without mentioning its own strength, folded its two wings and suddenly swooped down toward the quail. When the quail knew, 'The hawk is coming at me full speed,' it slipped behind the clump of earth, and right there the hawk shattered its own breast.

"This is what happens to anyone who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others.

"For this reason, you should not wander into what is not your proper range and is the territory of others. In one who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others, Mara gains an opening, Mara gains a foothold. And what, for a monk, is not his proper range and is the territory of others? The five strands of sensuality. Which five? Forms cognizable by the eye — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. Sounds cognizable by the ear... Aromas cognizable by the nose... Flavors cognizable by the tongue... Tactile sensations cognizable by the body — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. These, for a monk, are not his proper range and are the territory of others.

"Wander, monks, in what is your proper range, your own ancestral territory. In one who wanders in what is his proper range, his own ancestral territory, Mara gains no opening, Mara gains no foothold. And what, for a monk, is his proper range, his own ancestral territory? The four frames of reference*. Which four? There is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. This, for a monk, is his proper range, his own ancestral territory."

Sakunagghi Sutta
The Hawk

The four frames of reference*- The four foundations of mindfulness (satipattana sutta)

Like the head was on fire...

As if struck by a sword,
as if his head were on fire,
a monk should live the wandering life
— mindful —
for the abandoning of sensual passion.

Tissa (Thag 1.39)

The Debt

1. A poor, destitute, penniless person

2. Gets into debt

3. Owes interest payments

4. Served a notice

5. He does not pay, they (collection agencies) hound him

6. He is put into bondage (prison)

In the same way (in the discipline of a noble one)...

1. A poor, destitute, penniless person is like... with regard to skillful mental qualities whoever has no:

i. Conviction(faith)

ii. Sense of conscience (shame)

iii. Sense of concern (fear)

iv. Persistence (effort)

v. Discernment (wisdom)

2. Gets into debt is like... engaging in misconduct by way of :

i. The body

ii. Speech

iii. Mind

3. Owes interest payments is like... for the purpose of concealing his bodily, verbal, and metal misconduct, he formulates evil desires:

i. He desires, 'May they not know about me.

ii. He resolves, 'May they not know about me.

iii. He speaks, [thinking,] 'May they not know about me.

4. Served a notice is like... his well-behaved companions in the holy life say about him, 'This venerable one acts in this way, behaves in this way.

5. When he does not pay, they (collection agencies) hound him is like...when he has gone to the wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, he is beset with evil, unskillful thoughts accompanied by remorse (regret).

6. He is put into bondage (prison) is like...on the break-up of the body, after death, is bound by the bond of hell or the bond of the animal womb.

The above is the summary of the Ina sutta. To read the full sutta click the link below:

Ina Sutta -Debt (AN 6.45)

Like fish in the mouth of a trap...

Blinded by sensuality
covered by the net,
veiled with the veil of craving,
bound by the bond of heedlessness,
like fish in the mouth of a trap,
they go to aging & death,
like a suckling calf to its mother.

Kamesu Satta Sutta
Attached to Sensual Pleasures

A man was being carried along by the flow of a river...

"Suppose a man was being carried along by the flow of a river, lovely & alluring. And then another man with good eyesight, standing on the bank, on seeing him would say: 'My good man, even though you are being carried along by the flow of a river, lovely & alluring, further down from here is a pool with waves & whirlpools, with monsters & demons. On reaching that pool you will suffer death or death-like pain.' Then the first man, on hearing the words of the second man, would make an effort with his hands & feet to go against the flow.

The meaning is this: the flow of the river stands for craving. Lovely & alluring stands for the six internal sense-media. The pool further down stands for the five lower fetters. The waves stand for anger & distress. The whirlpools stand for the five strings of sensuality. The monsters & demons stand for the opposite sex. Against the flow stands for renunciation. Making an effort with hands & feet stands for the arousing of persistence. The man with good eyesight standing on the bank stands for the Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened."

Even if it's with pain,
you should abandon
sensual desires
if you aspire
to future safety from bondage.
Alert,
with a mind well-released,
touch release now here,
now there.
An attainer-of-wisdom,
having fulfilled the holy life,
is said to have gone
to the end of the world, gone
beyond.

Iti 4.10; Iti 114

There lived a large herd of deer...

"Suppose, monks, that in a forested wilderness there were a large low-lying marsh, in dependence on which there lived a large herd of deer; and a certain man were to appear, not desiring their benefit, not desiring their welfare, not desiring their rest from bondage. He would close off the safe, restful path that led to their rapture, and would open up a false path, set out a male decoy, place a female decoy, and thus the large herd of deer, at a later time, would fall into ruin & disaster. Then suppose that a certain man were to appear to that same large herd of deer, desiring their benefit, desiring their welfare, desiring their rest from bondage. He would open up the safe, restful path that led to their rapture, would close off the false path, take away the male decoy, destroy the female decoy, and thus the large herd of deer, at a later time, would come into growth, increase, & abundance.

"I have given this simile in order to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: 'The large, low-lying marsh' is a term for sensual pleasures. 'The large herd of deer' is a term for beings. 'The man not desiring their benefit, not desiring their welfare, not desiring their rest from bondage' is a term for Mara, the Evil One. 'The false path' is a term for the eightfold wrong path, i.e., wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, & wrong concentration. 'The male decoy' is a term for passion & delight. 'The female decoy' is a term for ignorance. 'The man desiring their benefit, desiring their welfare, desiring their rest from bondage' is a term for the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Rightly Self-awakened One. 'The safe, restful path that led to their rapture' is a term for the noble eightfold path, i.e., right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration.

Dvedhavitakka Sutta
Two Sorts of Thinking

As a water bead on a lotus leaf...

As a water bead on a lotus leaf,

as water on a red lily,

does not adhere,

so the sage does not adhere to the seen,

the heard,

or the sensed.

Jara Sutta
Old Age

Sensuality is like a lump of flesh...

"Now suppose a vulture, a kite, or a hawk, seizing a lump of flesh, were to take off, and other vultures, kites, or hawks — following right after it — were to tear at it with their beaks & pull at it with their claws. What do you think: If that vulture, kite, or hawk were not quickly to drop that lump of flesh, would it meet with death from that cause, or with death-like pain?"

"Yes, lord."

"In the same way, householder, a disciple of the noble ones considers this point: 'The Blessed One has compared sensuality to a lump of flesh, of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks.'

Potaliya Sutta -To Potaliya

Just like a log...

"Monks, do you see that large log being carried along by the current of the river Ganges?"

"Yes, lord."

"Monks, if that log doesn't veer toward the near shore, doesn't veer toward the far shore, doesn't sink in the middle, doesn't get washed up on high ground, doesn't get snared by human beings, doesn't get snared by non-human beings, doesn't get snared in a whirlpool, and doesn't become rotten inside, it will tend to the ocean, tilt to the ocean, incline to the ocean. Why is that? Because the current of the river Ganges tends to the ocean, tilts to the ocean, inclines to the ocean.

"In the same way, monks, if you don't veer toward the near shore, don't veer toward the far shore, don't sink in the middle, don't get washed up on high ground, don't get snared by human beings, don't get snared by non-human beings, don't get snared in a whirlpool, and don't become rotten inside, you will tend to Unbinding, tilt to Unbinding, incline to Unbinding. Why is that? Because right view tends to Unbinding, tilts to Unbinding, inclines to Unbinding."

When this was said, a certain monk addressed the Blessed One: "What, lord, is the near shore? What is the far shore? What is sinking in the middle? What is being washed up on high ground? What is being snared by human beings? What is being snared by non-human beings? What is being snared by a whirlpool? What is becoming rotten inside?"

"'The near shore,' monks, stands for the six internal sense media. 'The far shore' stands for the six external sense media. 'Sinking in the middle' stands for passion & delight. 'Being washed up on high ground' stands for the conceit, 'I am.'

"And what, monks, is being snared by human beings? There is the case where a monk lives entangled with householders, delighting with them and sorrowing with them, happy when they are happy, pained when they are in pain, taking on their affairs as his own duty. This is called being snared by human beings.

"And what, monks, is being snared by non-human beings? There is the case where a certain monk lives the holy life in hopes of a certain company of devas, [thinking,] 'By means of this virtue or practice or austerity or holy life I will become one sort of deva or another.' This is called being snared by non-human beings.

"'Being snared by a whirlpool' stands for the five strings of sensuality.

" And what, monks, is becoming rotten inside? There is the case where a certain monk is unprincipled, evil, unclean and suspect in his undertakings, hidden in his actions, not a contemplative though claiming to be one, not leading the holy life though claiming to do so, inwardly rotten, oozing with desire, filthy by nature. This is called becoming rotten inside."

Daruka-khandha Sutta (The Log)

Head of a snake

If one, longing for sensual pleasure,
achieves it, 

yes,

he's enraptured at heart.
The mortal gets what he wants.
But if for that person ... longing, desiring ... the pleasures diminish,
he's shattered,

as if shot with an arrow.

Whoever avoids sensual desires... as he would,
with his foot,
the head of a snake ... goes beyond,
mindful,

this attachment in the world.

Kama Sutta -Sensual Pleasure

Sensuality, a bog hard to cross over

I call greed a 'great flood';
hunger, a swift current.
Preoccupations are ripples;
sensuality, a bog hard to cross over.
Not deviating from truth,a sage stands on high ground : a brahman

Attadanda Sutta

"A man who is greedy... pain invades him as water, a cracked boat"

"A man who is greedy
for fields, land, gold,
cattle, horses,
servants, employees,
women, relatives,
many sensual pleasures,
is overpowered with weakness
and trampled by trouble,
for pain invades him
as water, a cracked boat"- Buddha

Kama Sutta -Sensual Pleasure

Sensuality is like "a dog chewing on bones"

"Suppose a dog, overcome with weakness & hunger, were to come across a slaughterhouse, and there a dexterous butcher or butcher's apprentice were to fling him a chain of bones — thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, smeared with blood. What do you think: Would the dog, gnawing on that chain of bones — thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, smeared with blood — appease its weakness & hunger?"
"No, lord. And why is that? Because the chain of bones is thoroughly scraped, without any flesh, & smeared with blood. The dog would get nothing but its share of weariness & vexation."
"In the same way, householder, a disciple of the noble ones considers this point: 'The Blessed One has compared sensuality to a chain of bones, of much stress, much despair, & greater drawbacks.

Potaliya Sutta -To Potaliya