Meditating today – noticed that the second arrow is not something you can just tell the mind not to bother about – not to crave for or against.
It is not within your direct control.
You can create the conditions for the second arrow to not reach you (or miss).
This morning, focussing on the breath for 3 hours 30 minutes, sitting and lying down along with listening to an ajahn brahm guided meditation.
Focused on the breath and endured.
Eventualy in the final sit – things that used to cause a second arrow did not. There was only the initial thought, sight, sound, feeling and no residual afterburn of the second arrow.
A sound that would usually cause an instant negative reaction, the reaction never occured.
So be patient and endure.
LLM
An LLM was asked:
With buddhist sutta about the second arrow. Can one control the second arrow? Order yourself no to feel the second arrow?
Not by mere willpower in the moment.
It can be reduced and eventually prevented through training.
The second arrow comes from:
- Craving (wanting reality to be different)
- Aversion (pushing away discomfort)
- Ignorance (believing pain equals “me” or “mine”)
What is the practice?
- Recognise “this is the first arrow”
- Feel the sensation directly – drop the story
- where is it?
- How is it? pressure, heat, throbbing?
- Steady or changing?
- Notice the craving or resistance
- Allow instead of fighting. Allow it to be there – be a friend.
- Remember impermanence – it will change
Feel it.
Name it.
Allow it.
Don’t build a story around it.
Does one need to actively reflect? what if one just follows the breath will the second arrow automatically vanish?
No.
But if mindfulness of breathing develops:
- Equanimity
- Stability
- Non-reactivity
Then over time, yes — the second arrow arises less and less automatically.
Not because you forced it away.
But because the habit of resistance weakens.