Understanding the Mind in Thai Culture : หน้า 7/216

"this or that", "black or white", with no gray area, as the locals find this logic easy to grasp and put into practice. In addition, Thai culture and language has a relatively large amount of words and phrases that refer to the functions of the human mind, more so than most western languages. If there is anything dogmatic or in conflict with a peaceful global culture, it should not be assumed that these teachings are false or unusable. It is due to the differences in cultural understanding, logic, language, and the framing of teachings into practical delicacies of functional wisdom. Terminology used in this book includes the Pali Sanskrit language. Words of this nature often have the problem of being associated with specific religions. Yes, these words are used when devout Buddhists speak to each other, but as a whole they should just be looked at as vocabulary. The topics that are discussed here can be put under the scope of science and, thus, we have to use original, scientific terms to contextually describe them, as the Pali Sanskrit language specifically and exactly defines the primary topics discussed. For example, many words referring to the mind or spirit cannot avoid being associated to religion. So why try to separate them? A true measure of a chef is how he seasons his dishes. A master is one who helps others understand the true essence of his teachings. Here we are going to look at the mind itself for what it is - outside the scope of religion in a non-religious, non-dogmatic point of view. The chef, the master of these teachings, the man whom we call the Buddha, discovered the essence of the mind and that it is the same in every sentient being. He postulated that kilesa (described in detail below) harmfully controls the mind and He figured