Foreword

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THE NATURE OF THINGS

I wrote the NATURE OF THINGS series from a very simple intention: to connect academic understanding with everyday life as it is actually unfolding. I do not believe that insights into reality should lie still on bookshelves, displayed like rare collectibles. They need to appear directly in lived life, in a form that is concise and alive, so that anyone can reach them and see for themselves.

This text does only one thing: it helps readers look straight at how life or the mind is operating within their own experience, moment by moment, before what is happening becomes boxed into concepts, viewpoints, or beliefs.

What is written here comes from continuous observation of my own body and mind: when sensations arise, when reactions spring up, how recognition takes shape, and how tendencies toward action reveal themselves. All of this can be directly verified by oneself, without having to believe anyone. Academic frameworks, when used, serve only as reference maps to ensure clarity and coherence. Among them, Buddhadhamma – The Laws of Nature and Their Benefits to Life by P. A. Payutto has helped me greatly, thanks to his clear and consistent way of organizing the laws governing psychological life through the Buddhist science of mind.

In THE NATURE OF THINGS, you will not find attempts to answer the question “What is this?” through definitions, but rather “How does it operate?” right in the life that is happening. Processes are separated, placed side by side, and written as short, independent sentences—not to build yet another system, but to allow readers to compare for themselves and recognize movements that are deeply familiar, yet often overlooked in their own experience.

THE NATURE OF THINGS is written in plain language, avoiding academic style and archaic terms. For that reason, it naturally cannot preserve full technical precision in wording—for example, some mental states that a single classical term once covered now require several modern words to convey roughly the same meaning. Still, I am certain that whether a person lived a thousand years ago or lives today, even if language does not perfectly overlap, the laws governing body and mind are no more and no less than this.

My strongest drive is not to be seen as someone rich in words or strong in academic mastery, but for more and more people, at every level, to be able to read and feel these simple things directly in their own lives. I have come to recognize a truth that is quite obvious—and also slightly sad (and amusing): seeing and knowing oneself, something that could be gently and clearly shown even to a child, has for thousands of years been turned into something elusive and mystical, then locked away in thick, heavy books. I cannot help but wonder whether that has truly been worth it.

That is why I chose to present this work in the breath of our time—open, easy to use, and accessible to everyone. If this text offers you a “guide” simple enough to look back at your own experience and recognize the small tendencies that keep repeating, quietly steering the way you live, then that is already more than enough for me.

Everything you read here will only be truly useful if you are willing to verify it for yourself—by checking directly against your own body and mind, or by using it as a mirror to examine what you have already seen.

There is something quietly humorous about reading these pages: many may be startled to discover that what most of humanity regards as lofty and worthy of reverence is, in fact, as simple as a child’s first lessons—learned directly from one’s own body and mind.

If something here resonates with you, you are welcome to follow the NATURE OF THINGS series on NHULA.NET.

From time to time, when circumstances allow, I will sit down again to gather notes, reflect, and continue this journey together with you.

Phan Ý Ly
December 15, 2025

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START

CHAPTER 1 – Human Beings and the 5 Aggregates (Pancha-khandha)

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1. A human being is not a fixed entity but an ongoing process.
2. This process exists only as long as conditions remain active.
3. When conditions change, the experience of “self” also changes.
4. No part of a human being exists independently.
5. The body is a system for receiving and responding to the environment.
6. The body is constantly subject to the effects of time.
7. Sensation arises when the body is impacted.
8. No sensation is self-born.
9. Every sensation has a specific cause.
10. Sensation exists only for a short duration.
11. Awareness is a function, not an object.
12. Awareness only occurs when there is an object.
13. There is no such thing as completely empty awareness.
14. Awareness is always selective.
15. Not everything is aware of at the same time.
16. Perception is the act of assigning meaning to what is recognized.
17. Perception helps direct action.
18. Perception is also the source of misunderstanding.
19. Memory retains the traces of experience.
20. Memory does not store the entirety of an event.
21. Memory is influenced by the emotions present at the time of the event.
22. Every instance of remembering is an act of reconstruction.
23. Thought is based on data from memory.
24. Thinking does not always reflect the present.
25. Intention is a tendency to lean toward a direction of action.
26. Intention can exist before it becomes a thought.
27. Action is the result of many factors converging.
28. No action is entirely random.
29. Habit is formed from repeated actions.
30. Habit reduces the need for new thinking.
31. Habit helps save energy.
32. Habit also reduces flexibility.
33. Emotions affect the speed of reaction.
34. Fast reactions are often less accurate.
35. A slow reaction creates a “gap” to choose.
36. This gap does not occur naturally.
37. It must be nurtured through observation.
38. Observation is not analysis.
39. Observation is direct noting.
40. Direct noting reduces speculation.
41. Speculation increases distortion.
42. Accumulated distortion forms prejudice.
43. Prejudice governs how one sees the world.
44. The worldview governs life decisions.
45. No decision is detached from its context.
46. Context includes both the external and the internal.
47. The internal changes faster than the external.
48. No two people experience the same event in the same way.
49. Experience is always subjective.
50. Subjective does not mean “wrong.”
51. Subjectivity becomes a problem when it is absolutized.
52. Absolutism causes conflict.
53. Conflict consumes psychological energy.
54. Psychological energy is limited.
55. When energy is depleted, judgment weakens.
56. Weakened judgment increases errors.
57. Repeated errors create a sense of being stuck.
58. Being “stuck” is often misunderstood as a circumstance.
59. In reality, being stuck lies in the internal way of operating.
60. Changing the way of operating can reduce being stuck.
61. One does not need to change the world to reduce mental suffering.
62. One needs to understand their own way of reacting.
63. Automatic reactions often go unrecognized.
64. If not recognized, they cannot be adjusted.
65. Adjustment begins with awareness.
66. Awareness requires a lucid presence.
67. Being lucid is not the same as being tense.
68. Lucidity means not being swept away.
69. Being swept away results in a loss of choice.
70. Having choices increases freedom.
71. Freedom is not “doing whatever one wants.”
72. Freedom is clearly understanding consequences.
73. Understanding consequences helps one act appropriately.
74. Appropriate action reduces internal conflict.
75. A mind with less conflict is clearer.
76. Clarity does not depend on education.
77. Clarity depends on the ability to see things as they are.
78. Seeing correctly requires reality, not imagination.
79. Excessive imagination misdirects one’s life.
80. Misdirection causes long-term fatigue.
81. Fatigue does not only come from work.
82. Fatigue comes from repeated wrong reactions.
83. Wrong reactions are not due to malice.
84. They are due to not seeing the process clearly.
85. Seeing the process clearly helps reduce self-blame.
86. Self-blame weakens the spirit.
87. A weakened spirit easily leads to poor decisions.
88. Poor decisions create a disadvantageous loop.
89. This loop can be broken.
90. It is broken by awareness at the right time.
91. The “right time” is usually very early.
92. Earlier than when a thought even forms.
93. This part belongs to the microscopic level.
94. Without seeing this part, one only fixes the symptoms (the “top”).
95. Fixing the symptoms takes a lot of effort.
96. Fixing the root requires subtle understanding.
97. Subtle understanding does not require over-complication.
98. It requires patience.
99. Patience is accepting the process.
100. The process does not follow one’s will.
101. Wanting to control the process causes stress.
102. Understanding the process helps one live in harmony.
103. Harmony does not mean passivity.
104. Harmony is acting in the right rhythm.
105. Everyone’s rhythm of life is different.
106. Comparison throws the rhythm off.
107. Being out of rhythm causes imbalance.
108. Balance is a dynamic state.
109. There is no fixed balance.
110. Realizing this allows for flexibility.
111. Flexibility helps with adaptation.
112. Adaptation helps with sustainable existence.
113. Sustainability is more important than raw strength.
114. Strength without self-understanding is easily broken.
115. Understanding oneself helps in allocating energy.
116. Proper allocation helps one live for the long haul.
117. Living for the long haul requires less internal conflict.
118. Less conflict comes from right understanding.
119. Right understanding requires continuous observation.
120. Observation is the foundation of these entire records.
     
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121. Before a clear thought exists, there is often a vague feeling.
122. This vague feeling does not yet have a name.
123. Even when unnamed, it still influences behavior.
124. Humans usually only notice when the thought has already formed.
125. By then, the reaction is already halfway there.
126. The part before the thought determines the direction of the reaction.
127. This part is very fast and easily overlooked.
128. If not used to observing, we will not see it.
129. When we don’t see it, we imagine thoughts appear naturally.
130. In reality, thoughts have been guided beforehand.
131. This guidance is not through words.
132. It is like a very slight tilt.
133. This tilt causes the thought to turn to one side.
134. When the tilt is strong, the thought becomes biased.
135. Bias is often misunderstood as a “personal opinion.”
136. Personal opinions often stem from old tilts.
137. Old tilts are formed from repeated experiences.
138. Experiences with strong emotions leave deep tilts.
139. Deep tilts are harder to recognize than new ones.
140. The more familiar they are, the more invisible they become.
141. Attention is what makes a process stronger.
142. What is not attended to will gradually weaken.
143. Attention is not as neutral as we think.
144. Attention always carries a tendency.
145. When attention is rushed, the process is accelerated.
146. When attention is frantic, the reaction becomes urgent.
147. Gentle attention allows the process to reveal itself clearly.
148. Attention that is too strong loses detail.
149. Losing detail leads to misunderstanding.
150. Misunderstanding often occurs very early.
151. We often focus on the content while ignoring the way it appears.
152. The way of appearing is more important than the content.
153. Content changes according to the way it appears.
154. When attention is applied correctly, content self-adjusts.
155. There is no need to “fix” thoughts if they are seen earlier.
156. Seeing early prevents thoughts from flaring up.
157. When a thought hasn’t flared up, action is not yet “locked.”
158. Being locked into an action creates a sense of helplessness.
159. Helplessness does not come from circumstances, but from early reactions.
160. Early reactions usually take place outside of consciousness.
161. Recognition occurs very quickly after a sensation.
162. Labeling helps save time.
163. Labeling also impoverishes the experience.
164. When labeling occurs too early, we do not see the fullness.
165. Not seeing the fullness leads to mechanical reactions.
166. Mechanical reactions reinforce old habits.
167. Old habits obscure new possibilities.
168. When we don’t see new possibilities, we imagine there are no choices.
169. “No choice” is a feeling, not a fact.
170. This feeling is created very early on.
171. Labeling is usually based on familiar memories.
172. Familiar memories do not reflect new situations.
173. When using the old for the new, distortion occurs.
174. A distortion doesn’t need to be big to cause consequences.
175. Small repeated distortions create a skewed trajectory.
176. A skewed trajectory is hard to notice when you are inside it.
177. We only see it when the consequences are clear.
178. Consequences are often blamed on circumstances.
179. Rarely are they seen as the result of early recognition/labeling.
180. Early labeling is usually not re-examined.
181. Memory often intervenes before we can even realize it.
182. It appears as a “feeling of familiarity.”
183. Familiarity creates a false sense of security.
184. False security causes us to stop observing.
185. When we stop observing, we react by inertia.
186. Inertia requires no thought.
187. Inertia is very effective in simple dangers.
188. In complex life, inertia is prone to error.
189. Being wrong without knowing it is the most dangerous.
190. Knowing one is wrong opens the possibility for correction.
191. Memory is not just images.
192. It is also the accompanying feeling.
193. This feeling “colors” the present.
194. When the color is too bold, the present is obscured.
195. We think we are seeing the present, but we are actually seeing the past.
196. The past does not leave on its own.
197. It leaves when it is no longer fed by attention.
198. Wrong attention brings the past back to life.
199. The resurrected past takes the place of the present.
200. Losing the present is losing one’s anchor.
     
     
     
201. Before a clear intention exists, there is often a very slight trend.
202. This trend is like leaning one’s body to one side.
203. It leans so slightly that it is often not recognized.
204. But it determines the next direction.
205. Once a trend has formed, thought follows.
206. Thought often only justifies the existing trend.
207. We think the thought decides, but it actually follows.
208. Realizing this helps reduce self-blame.
209. Self-blame does not help change the trend.
210. Seeing the trend clearly helps in changing direction.
211. A trend grows stronger when it goes unseen.
212. When it is seen, it weakens.
213. There is no need to fight the trend.
214. Simply recognizing it is enough.
215. Fighting it makes it harder/stiffer.
216. Recognizing it makes it soften.
217. When a trend is soft, action is flexible.
218. Flexibility creates new choices.
219. New choices open up a different direction in life.
220. A different direction does not require a change in circumstances.
221. Humans do not only cling to their self-image.
222. Humans also cling to familiar emotions.
223. Clinging to an emotion makes us fear losing it.
224. Fear of loss causes us to overreact.
225. Overreacting distorts the emotion.
226. We think we are holding on, but we are actually destroying.
227. Clinging to thoughts also creates tension.
228. Clung-to thoughts become rigid.
229. Rigidity results in a loss of the ability to learn.
230. Losing the ability to learn makes life poorer.
231. Clinging to memory creates a false identity.
232. A false identity needs constant protection.
233. Constant protection causes fatigue.
234. Fatigue gives birth to defensiveness.
235. Defensiveness narrows perception.
236. Narrowed perception makes the world smaller.
237. A smaller world makes us feel suffocated.
238. Suffocation is not caused by life.
239. Suffocation is caused by clinging too tightly.
240. Letting go in the right place opens up space.
241. When attention is focused heavily on a sensation, thought tends to chase that sensation.
242. When thought chases sensation, action becomes impulsive.
243. Impulsive actions often create short-term results.
244. Short-term results easily lead to repeated addiction.
245. Repeating many times creates a self-reinforcing loop.
246. When memory dominates, the present is constantly compared.
247. Constant comparison loses the freshness of experience.
248. Loss of freshness makes a person get bored faster.
249. Boredom reduces the ability to observe.
250. Decreased observation allows memory to dominate even more strongly.
251. When recognition is too fast, details are ignored.
252. Ignoring details causes reactions based on old patterns.
253. Old patterns make actions repeat.
254. Repeated actions create the feeling that “life never changes.”
255. This feeling obscures the possibility of real change.
256. When a reaction happens too early, thought only serves to justify it.
257. Justification makes us believe we have considered things carefully.
258. False belief makes us repeat old reactions without checking.
259. Not checking keeps the loop going.
260. A continuing loop creates the feeling of being trapped.
261. When one can observe early, the reaction slows down.
262. A slowed reaction creates a gap for new choices.
263. New choices weaken the old loop.
264. The loop fades when it is not nourished.
265. Not nourishing is more important than fighting against it.
266. When clinging to an emotion, attention is sucked in tight.
267. Sucked-in attention loses the big picture.
268. Losing the big picture makes decisions lack consideration.
269. Unconsidered decisions breed regret.
270. Regret, in turn, nourishes the old emotion.
271. When clinging to a thought, we protect it as if protecting ourselves.
272. Protecting a thought reduces the ability to listen.
273. Not listening increases misunderstanding.
274. Misunderstanding makes defensive reactions stronger.
275. Defensiveness reinforces the sense of separation.
276. When clinging to an image of oneself, all feedback is personalized.
277. Personalization makes hurt increase rapidly.
278. Hurt makes reactions more extreme.
279. Extreme reactions make relationships worse.
280. Worse relationships confirm the negative image of oneself.
281. When not clinging to any part, attention becomes flexible.
282. Flexible attention helps see many factors at once.
283. Seeing many factors makes the reaction softer.
284. A soft reaction allows for mid-course adjustments.
285. Mid-course adjustments prevent large consequences.
286. When understanding that all processes are temporary, attachment decreases.
287. Decreased attachment makes the mind lighter.
288. A lighter mind helps one observe deeper.
289. Deep observation makes the loop visible.
290. The visible loop is the first step toward freedom.
291. When the loop is seen clearly, we no longer identify with it.
292. Dis-identification makes the loop lose its power.
293. Losing power causes the loop to dissolve on its own.
294. The loop dissolves without the need for forced effort.
295. Non-forcing allows the process to happen naturally.
296. Natural does not mean giving up.
297. Natural is acting at the right time, to the right extent.
298. “Right time” and “right extent” only exist when the operation is seen clearly.
299. Seeing the operation clearly is the core of this entire chapter.
300. When seen clearly, life operates more lightly without the need for blind faith.

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Phan Ý Ly.
Reference: Buddhadhamma – The Laws of Nature and Their Benefits to Life (P. A. Payutto).

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© Phan Ý Ly.
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Phan Ý Ly. http://ultimate-freedom.net

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