Discernment

[Patrycia-Rose]

What is understood by the word “discernment”? According to the Oxford dictionary, discernment means “the ability to judge well.” I’ve been told by a number of different mediums that one of my life lessons is to learn discernent. So how do you discern, with your thoughts, mind, solar plexus or something else? How do you know if you’ve got it right?

Originally Posted by Patrycia-Rose

What is understood by the word “discernment”? According to the Oxford dictionary, discernment means “the ability to judge well.” I’ve been told by a number of different mediums that one of my life lessons is to learn discernent. So how do you discern, with your thoughts, mind, solar plexus or something else? How do you know if you’ve got it right?

I have a spare one, it's a tad frayed around the edges but it works fine just the same. But seriously...

The simple answer to that using your discernment is finding what resonates with you, what rings true or feels right. It's more sixth sense/intuition with most people but you can use your 'clair', more higher mind than logical/thinking mind. It's also in the same territory/vibration as Gnosis - which simply is knowing without knowing how you know or experiential knowledge.

So now I've thrown that lot at you, which one do you discern to be right for you? Which one - if any - 'rings true'? Everyone has it, few practice it, and how you do it depends on your strongest sensing.

[baro-san]

Originally Posted by Patrycia-Rose

What is understood by the word “discernment”? According to the Oxford dictionary, discernment means “the ability to judge well.” I’ve been told by a number of different mediums that one of my life lessons is to learn discernment. So how do you discern, with your thoughts, mind, solar plexus or something else? How do you know if you’ve got it right?

In "to judge well" there are two aspects "the judgement action", and "how you do the judgement". I believe that "discernment" points especially to the first part: acting, desiring, jumping to conclusions without enough judgement.

So, in one or more of your past lives you lived without using your judgement enough, which resulted in errors and pain for you and those around you.

In this incarnation, you'll have to learn to use your judgement more.

Judgement is done with your brain, not with any other part of your body (bodies).

So, I don't think this is as much about the quality of your judgement, as about getting more in the habit of using your judgement more often (maybe always). Obviously if you aren't in the habit of using your judgement there is also a high likelihood that it is kind of rusty.

It's very nice to know what is your life lesson, before you pass on. You have the chance to cram on it!

Look back at your current life, and find the situations when you acted, desired, jumped to conclusions without much judgement, and see how they ended up badly for you and / or those around you. See how, if you spent more thought beforehand, those situations would've had a better outcome, and learn from it. Commit that from now on you'll think more before you act, desire, draw conclusions!

EDIT: I think that your profile on this forum indicates that you're more oriented toward feeling, than judgement, so you might have to adjust it if you want to pass your life lesson. I may be wrong ...

[Jeremy Bong]

Originally Posted by Patrycia-Rose

What is understood by the word “discernment”? According to the Oxford dictionary, discernment means “the ability to judge well.” I’ve been told by a number of different mediums that one of my life lessons is to learn discernent. So how do you discern, with your thoughts, mind, solar plexus or something else? How do you know if you’ve got it right?

In Chinese , discrenment means "the ability to penetrate to the root to get the right answer". "The ability to judge well" is just in general to judge.

[baro-san]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Bong

In Chinese , discrenment means "the ability to penetrate to the root to get the right answer". "The ability to judge well" is just in general to judge.

That gave me an idea for a google search:

Discernment (pañña)
The Eightfold Path is best understood as a collection of personal qualities to be developed, rather than as a sequence of steps along a linear path. The development of right view and right resolve (the factors classically identified with wisdom and discernment) facilitates the development of right speech, action, and livelihood (the factors identified with virtue). As virtue develops so do the factors identified with concentration (right effort, mindfulness, and concentration). Likewise, as concentration matures, discernment evolves to a still deeper level. And so the process unfolds: development of one factor fosters development of the next, lifting the practitioner in an upward spiral of spiritual maturity that eventually culminates in Awakening.

The long journey to Awakening begins in earnest with the first tentative stirrings of right view — the discernment by which one recognizes the validity of the four Noble Truths and the principle of kamma. One begins to see that one's future well-being is neither predestined by fate, nor left to the whims of a divine being or random chance. The responsibility for one's happiness rests squarely on one's own shoulders. Seeing this, one's spiritual aims become suddenly clear: to relinquish the habitual unskillful tendencies of the mind in favor of skillful ones. As this right resolve grows stronger, so does the heartfelt desire to live a morally upright life, to choose one's actions with care.

At this point many followers make the inward commitment to take the Buddha's teachings to heart, to become "Buddhist" through the act of taking refuge in the Triple Gem: the Buddha (both the historical Buddha and one's own innate potential for Awakening), the Dhamma (both the Buddha's teachings and the ultimate Truth towards which they point), and the Sangha (both the unbroken monastic lineage that has preserved the teachings since the Buddha's day, and all those who have achieved at least some degree of Awakening). With one's feet thus planted on solid ground, and with the help of an admirable friend or teacher (kalyanamitta) to guide the way, one is now well-equipped to proceed down the Path, following in the footsteps left by the Buddha himself.

[baro-san]

And this:

12.6 Zizhang asked about discernment. The
Master said, “When one is uninfluenced by
slanderous statements about someone that
reach a saturation point or by disputes that
are brought before him that have a direct
bearing on him, then he may be said to be
discerning. He may also be said to be farsighted.”
-----
note: 12.6 ‘Discernment’ translates a
word (ming 明) that could also be
rendered ‘enlightenment’. Either
way, the term here is related to the
idea of objectivity.

[Jeremy Bong]

Originally Posted by baro-san

And this:

Translation of discrenment in Chinese or Mandarin will be洞察力 or be perceptive of the minutest detail. Ming明is only understanding.

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Patrycia-Rose

What is understood by the word “discernment”? According to the Oxford dictionary, discernment means “the ability to judge well.” I’ve been told by a number of different mediums that one of my life lessons is to learn discernent. So how do you discern, with your thoughts, mind, solar plexus or something else? How do you know if you’ve got it right?

What is understood by the word “discernment”? Perhaps we can also consider discernment as the ability to make wise choices. Wisdom is a quality of the Soul, gained through all of our varied experiences.

How do you know if you’ve got it right? Perhaps by observing the outcome of our choices.

Peace.

[Patrycia-Rose]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

I have a spare one, it's a tad frayed around the edges but it works fine just the same. But seriously...

The simple answer to that using your discernment is finding what resonates with you, what rings true or feels right. It's more sixth sense/intuition with most people but you can use your 'clair', more higher mind than logical/thinking mind. It's also in the same territory/vibration as Gnosis - which simply is knowing without knowing how you know or experiential knowledge.

So now I've thrown that lot at you, which one do you discern to be right for you? Which one - if any - 'rings true'? Everyone has it, few practice it, and how you do it depends on your strongest sensing.

Thank you every one for your responses.

Thank you, Greenslade, that gives me something to work with. I'm feeling from your list, a general "all of them" but I feel it most in my solar plexus.

I'm thinking of a specific situation here which I got badly wrong some years ago and paid a heavy price. Forward wind ten years and I find myself in a similar situation with only gut feel to go on. The previous situation, I had doubts from the start which I rationalised away, so I guess I ignored my own gut feel. This current situation doesn't give me the same gut feel, it's my mind/my thinking that dwelling on the previous situation.

I went to see a medium last week, trying to gain evidence/validation on this specific situation - but he said he wasn't going to give that to me because one of my life lessons is discernment and I have to learn.

Originally Posted by Patrycia-Rose

Thank you every one for your responses.

Thank you, Greenslade, that gives me something to work with. I'm feeling from your list, a general "all of them" but I feel it most in my solar plexus.

I'm thinking of a specific situation here which I got badly wrong some years ago and paid a heavy price. Forward wind ten years and I find myself in a similar situation with only gut feel to go on. The previous situation, I had doubts from the start which I rationalised away, so I guess I ignored my own gut feel. This current situation doesn't give me the same gut feel, it's my mind/my thinking that dwelling on the previous situation.

I went to see a medium last week, trying to gain evidence/validation on this specific situation - but he said he wasn't going to give that to me because one of my life lessons is discernment and I have to learn.

You're most welcome, Patrycia. Sometimes the best way is to learn by experience and I figured you'd already been discerning somewhere along the line.

That's not a good place to be in if you're at odds with yourself, especially your gut feeling. I suppose now would be the time to rationalise so tell yourself it's something you learned from, paid the price for and you need to move on - without more of the same. Say it out loud if that'll help. The monkey mind often gets in the way of discernment so it's worth literally training your mind, otherwise it'll trip you up again. I've told mine before - quite angrily - to sit down and shut up because it was annoying me. Literally. Give it a job to do, tell to sit down and take notes or that it'll have something to do later on. It sounds daft but it works.

Depending on the situation my discernment acts as an early warning system and my mind immediately 'stands to attention' and focuses, that's saved my tail a few times. Similarly if I'm being told something, I'll hear the words but I'll be looking for an agenda or double meaning.

Take a deep four-breath (in to the count of four, hold for four, out for four) and focus on the gut feeling. isolate it completely. Tell your mind you meed to focus and find the feeling so that you can work better with it. Use your mind as a recorder. When you feel tuned back into it use it again with this situation, but look for a way to use the discernment in conjunction with your mind. Often discernment can be a guide that the mind can follow through on, that way everyone 'gets a job' and nobody is left out.

And there is no wrong, there is just learn-froms.