The Two Faces of Reality
by The
Venerable Ajahn Chah (Pra Bodhinyana Thera)
(A Discourse
delivered to the Assembly of Monks after the recitation of the Patimokkha,
the
Monk's
Disciplinary Code, at Wat Pah Pong during the Rains Retreat 1976)
In our lives
we have two possibilities: indulging in the world or going
beyond the world.
The Buddha
was someone who was able to free Himself from the world and thus realized
spiritual
Liberation.
In the same
way, there are two types of knowledge--knowledge of the worldly realm and
knowledge
of the spiritual, or true wisdom. If we have not yet practised
and trained
ourselves,
no matter how much knowledge we have, it is still worldly, and thus cannot
liberate
us.
Think and
really look closely! The Buddha said that things of the world
spin the world
around.
Following the world, the mind is entangled in the world, it defiles itself
whether
coming
or going, never remaining content. Worldly people are those
who are always
looking
for something--who can never find enough. Worldly knowledge
is really
ignorance;
it isn't knowledge with clear understanding, therefore there is never an
end to
it.
It revolves around the worldly goals of accumulating things, gaining status,
seeking
praise
and pleasure; it's a mass of delusion which has us stuck fast.
Once we
get something, there is jealousy, worry and selfishness. And
when we feel
threatened
and can't ward it off physically, we use our minds to invent all sorts
of devices,
right up
to weapons and even nuclear bombs, only to blow each other up.
Why all this
trouble
and difficulty?
This is
the way of the world. The Buddha said that if one follows it
around there is no
reaching
an end.
Come to
practise for liberation! It isn't easy to live in accordance
with true wisdom, but
whoever
earnestly seeks the Path and Fruit and aspires to Nibbana will be able
to
persevere
and endure. Endure being contented and satisfied with little;
eating little,
sleeping
little, speaking little and living in moderation. By doing
this we can put an end to
worldliness.
If the seed
of worldliness has not yet been uprooted, then we are continually troubled
and
confused
in a never-ending cycle. Even when you come to ordain, it continues
to pull
you away.
It creates your views, your opinions, it colours and embellishes all your
thoughts--that's
the way it is.
People don't
realize! They say that they will get things done in the world.
It's always their
hope to
complete everything. Just like a new government minister who
is eager to get
started
with his new administration. He thinks that he has all the
answers, so he carts
away everything
of the old administration saying, "Look out! I'll do it all
myself. " That's
all they
do, cart things in and cart things out, never getting anything done.
They try, but
never reach
any real completion.
You can
never do something which will please everyone--one person likes a little,
another
likes a
lot; one like short and one likes long; some like salty and some like spicy.
To get
everyone
together and in agreement just cannot be done.
All of us
want to accomplish something in our lives, but the world, with all of its
complexities,
makes it almost impossible to bring about any real completion.
Even the
Buddha,
born with all the opportunities of a noble prince, found no completion
in the
worldly
life.
The Trap of the Senses
The Buddha
talked about desire and the six things by which desire is gratified:
sights,
sounds,
smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects. Desire and lust for
happiness, for
suffering,
for good, for evil and so on, pervade everything!
Sights.
. . there isn't any sight that's quite the same
as that of a woman. Isn't that so?
Doesn't
a really attractive woman make you want to look? One with a really attractive
figure
comes walking along, 'sak, sek, sak, sek, sak, sek,'--you can't help but
stare! How
about sounds?
There's no sound that grips you more than that of a woman.
It pierces
your heart!
Smell is the same; a woman's fragrance is the most alluring of all.
There's no
other smell
that's quite the same. Taste--even the taste of the most delicious
food cannot
compare
with that of a woman. Touch is similar; when you caress a woman
you are
stunned,
intoxicated and sent pinning all around.
There was
once a famous master of magical spells from Taxila in ancient India.
He taught
his disciple
all his knowledge of charms and incantations. When the disciple
was
well-versed
and ready to fare on his own, he left with this final instruction from
his teacher,
"I have
taught you all that I know of spells, incantations and protective verses.
Creatures
with sharp
teeth, antlers or horns, and even big tusks, you have no need to fear.
You will
be guarded
from all of these, I can guarantee that. However, there is
only one thing that I
cannot
ensure protection against, and that is the charms of a woman.
*
( * Lit. creatures with soft horns on their chest)
I can not
help you here. There's no spell for protection against this
one, you'll have to
look after
yourself. "
Mental objects
arise in the mind. They are born out of desire:
desire for valuable
possessions,
desire to be rich, and just restless seeking after things in general.
This type
of greed
isn't all that deep or strong, it isn't enough to make you faint or lose
control.
However,
when sexual desire arises, you're thrown off balance and lose your control.
You would
even forget those raised and brought you up--your own parents!
The Buddha taught that the objects of our senses are a trap--a trap of Mara's. *
( * Mara:
the Buddhist 'Tempter' figure. He is either regarded as the
deity ruling of the
highest
heaven of the Sensuous Sphere or as the personification of evil and passions,
of the
totality
of worldly existence and of death. He is the opponent of liberation
and tried in vain
to obstruct
the Buddha's attainment of Enlightenment.)
Mara should
be understood as something which harms us. The trap is something
which
binds us,
the same as a snare. It's a trap of Mara's, a hunter's snare,
and the hunter is
Mara.
If animals
are caught in the hunter's trap, it's a sorrowful predicament.
They are caught
fast and
held waiting for the owner of the trap. Have you ever snared
birds? The snare
springs
and 'boop'--caught by the neck! A good strong string now holds
it fast.
Wherever
the bird flies, it cannot escape. It flies here and flies there,
but it's held tight
waiting
for the owner of the snare. When the hunter comes along, that's
it--the bird is
struck
with fear, there's no escape!
The trap
of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects is the same.
They
catch us
and bind us fast. If you attach to the senses, you're the same
as a fish caught on
a hook.
When the fisherman comes, struggle all you want, but you can't get loose.
Actually,
you're not caught like a fish, it's more like a frog--a frog gulps down
the whole
hook right
to its guts, a fish just gets caught in its mouth.
Anyone attached
to the senses is the same. Like a drunk whose liver is not
yet
destroyed--he
doesn't know when he has had enough. He continues to indulge
and drink
carelessly.
He's caught and later suffers illness and pain.
A man comes
walking along a road. He is very thirsty from his journey and
is craving for
a drink
of water. The owner of the water says, "you can drink this
water if you like; the
colour
is good, the smell is good, the taste is good, but if you drink it you
will become ill. I
must tell
you this beforehand, it'll make you sick enough to die or nearly die.
" The thirsty
man does
not listen. He's as thirsty as a person after an operation
who has been denied
water for
seven days--he's crying for water!
It's the
same with a person thirsting after the senses. The Buddha taught
that they are
poisonous--sights,
sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects are poison; they are a
dangerous
trap. But this man is thirsty and doesn't listen; because of
his thirst he is in
tears,
crying, "Give me water, no matter how painful the consequences, let me
drink!" So
he dips
out a bit and swallows it down finding it very tasty. He drinks
his fill and gets so
sick that
he almost dies. He didn't listen because of his overpowering
desire.
This is
how it is for a person caught in the pleasures of the senses.
He drinks in sights,
sounds,
smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects--they are all very delicious!
So he drinks
without
stopping and there he remains, stuck fast until the day he dies.
The Worldly Way and Liberation
Some people
die, some people almost die--that's how it is to be stuck in the way of
the
world.
Worldly wisdom seeks after the senses and their objects. However
wise it is, it's
only wise
in a worldly sense. No matter how appealing it is, it's only
appealing in a
worldly
sense. However much happiness it is, it's only happiness in
a worldly sense. It
isn't the
happiness of liberation; it won't free you from the world.
We have
come to practise as monks in order to penetrate true wisdom, to rid ourselves
of
attachment.
Practise to be free of attachment! Investigate the body, investigate
everything
around you until you become weary and fed up with it all and then dispassion
will set
in. Dispassion will not arise easily however, because you still
don't see clearly.
We come
and ordain--we study, we read, we practise, we meditate. We
determine to make
our minds
resolute but it's hard to do. We resolve to do a certain practice,
we say that
we'll practise
in this way--only a day or two goes by, maybe just a few hours pass and
we
forget
all about it. Then we remember and try to make our minds firm
again, thinking,
"This time
I'll do it right!" Shortly after that we are pulled away by one of our
senses and it
all falls
apart again, so we have to start all over again! This is how
it is.
Like a poorly
built dam, our practise is weak. We are still unable to see
and follow true
practice.
And it goes on like this until we arrive at true wisdom. Once
we penetrate to the
Truth,
we are freed from everything. Only peace remains.
Our minds
aren't peaceful because of our old habits. We inherit these
because of our
past actions
and thus they follow us around and constantly plague us. We
struggle and
search
for a way out, but we're bound by them and they pull us back.
These habits don't
forget
their old grounds. They grab onto all the old familiar things
to use, to admire and to
consume--that's
how we live.
The sexes
of man and woman--woman cause problems for men, men cause problems for
women.
That's the way it is, they are opposites. If men live together
with men, then
there's
no trouble. If women live together with women, then there's
no trouble. When a
man sees
a woman his heart pounds like a rice pounder, 'deung, dung, deung, dung,
deung,
dung'. What is this? What are those forces? It
pulls and sucks you in--no one
realizes
that there's a price to pay!
It's the
same in everything. No matter how hard you try to free yourself,
until you see the
value of
freedom and the pain in bondage, you won't be able to let go.
People usually just
practise
enduring hardships, keeping the discipline, following the form blindly
and not in
order to
attain freedom or liberation. You must see the value in letting
go of your desires
before
you can really practise; only then is true practice possible.
Everything
that you do must be done with clarity and awareness. When you
see clearly,
there will
no longer be any need for enduring or forcing yourself. You
have difficulties
and are
burdened because you miss this point! Peace comes from doing
things
completely
with your whole body and mind. Whatever is left undone leaves
you with a
feeling
of discontent. These things bind you with worry wherever you
go. You want to
complete
everything, but it's impossible to get it all done.
Take the
case of the merchants who regularly come here to see me. They
say, "Oh, when
my debts
are all paid and property in order, I'll come to ordain. "
They talk like that but will
they ever
finish and get it all in order? There's no end to it.
They pay up their debts with
another
loan, they pay off that one and do it all again. A merchant
thinks that if he frees
himself
from debt he will be happy, but there's no end to paying things off.
That's the way
worldliness
fools us--we go around and around like this never realizing our predicament.
Constant Practice
In our practice
we just look directly at the mind. Whenever our practice begins
to slacken
off, we
see it and make it firm--then shortly after, it goes again.
That's the way it pulls you
around.
But the person with good mindfulness takes a firm hold and constantly
re-establishes
himself, pulling himself back, training, practising and developing himself
in
this way.
The person
with poor mindfulness just lets it all fall apart, he strays off and gets
side-tracked
again and again. He's not strong and firmly rooted in practice.
Thus he's
continuously
pulled away by his worldly desires--something pulls him here, something
pulls him
there. He lives following his whims and desires, never putting
an end to this
worldly
cycle.
Coming to
ordain is not so easy. You must determine to make your mind
firm. You
should
be confident in the practice, confident enough to continue practising until
you
become
fed up with both your like and dislikes and see in accordance with Truth.
Usually,
you are dissatisfied with only your dislike, if you like something then
you aren't
ready to
give it up. You have to become fed up with both your dislike
and your likes, your
suffering
and your happiness.
You don't
see that this is the very essence of the Dhamma! The Dhamma
of the Buddha is
profound
and refined. It isn't easy to comprehend. If true
wisdom has not yet arisen,
then you
can't see it. You don't look forward and you don't look back.
When you
experience
happiness, you think that there will only be happiness. Whenever
there is
suffering,
you think that there will only be suffering. You don't see
that wherever there is
big, there
is small; wherever there is small, there is big. You don't
see it that way. You
see only
one side and thus it's never-ending.
There are
two sides to everything; you must see both sides. Then, when
happiness
arises,
you don't get lost; when suffering arises, you don't get lost.
When happiness
arises,
you don't forget the suffering, because you see that they are interdependent.
In a similar
way, food is beneficial to all beings for the maintenance of the body.
But
actually,
food can also be harmful, for example when it causes various stomach upsets.
When you
see the advantages of something, you must perceive the disadvantages also,
and vice
versa. When you feel hatred and aversion, you should contemplate
love and
understanding.
In this way, you become more balanced and your mind becomes more
settled.
The Empty Flag
I once read
a book about Zen. In Zen, you know, they don't teach with a
lot of
explanation.
For instance, if a monk is falling asleep during meditation, they come
with a
stick and
'whack!' they give him a hit on the back. When the erring disciple
is hit, he
shows his
gratitude by thanking the attendant. In Zen practice one is
taught to be
thankful
for all the feelings which give one the opportunity to develop.
One day
there was an assembly of monks gathered for a meeting. Outside
the hall a flag
was blowing
in the wind. There arose a dispute between two monks as to
how the flag
was actually
blowing in the wind. One of the monks claimed that it was because
of the
wind while
the other argued that it was because of the flag. Thus they
quarrelled because
of their
narrow views and couldn't come to any kind of agreement. They
would have
argued
like this until the day they died. However, their Teacher intervened
and said,
"Neither
of you is right. The correct understanding is that there is
no flag and there is no
wind.
"
This is
the practice, not to have anything, not to have the flag and not to have
the wind. If
there is
a flag, then there is a wind; if there is a wind, then there is a flag.
You should
contemplate
and reflect on this thoroughly until you see in accordance with Truth.
If
considered
well, then there will remain nothing. It's empty--void; empty
of the flag and
empty of
the wind. In the great Void there is no flag and there is no
wind. There is no
birth,
no old age, no sickness or death. Our conventional understanding
of flag and wind
is only
a concept. In reality there is nothing. That's
all! There is nothing more than
empty labels.
If we practise
in this way, we will come to see completeness and all of our problems will
come to
an end. In the great Void the King of Death will never find
you. There is nothing
for old
age, sickness and death to follow. When we see and understand
in accordance
with Truth,
that is, with Right Understanding, then there is only this great emptiness.
It's
here that
there is no more 'we', no 'they', no 'self' at all.
The Forest of the Senses
The world
with its never-ending ways goes on and on. If we try to understand
it all, it
leads us
only to chaos and confusion. However, if we contemplate the
world clearly, then
true wisdom
will arise. The Buddha Himself was one who was well-versed
in the ways of
the world.
He had great ability to influence and lead because of His abundance of
worldly
knowledge.
Through the transformation of his worldly mundane wisdom, He penetrated
and attained
to supermundane wisdom, making Him a truly superior being.
So, if we
work with this Teaching, turning it inwards for contemplation, we will
attain to an
understanding
on an entirely new level. When we see an object, there is no
object. When
we hear
a sound, the is no sound. In smelling, we can say that there
is no smell. All of
the senses
are manifest, but they are void of anything stable. They are
just sensations
that arise
and then pass away.
If we understand
according to this reality, then the senses cease to be substantial.
They
are just
sensations which come and go. In Truth there isn't any 'thing'.
If there isn't any
'thing',
then there is no 'we' and no 'they'. If there is no 'we' as
a person, then there is
nothing
belonging to 'us'. It's in this way that suffering is extinguished.
There isn't
anybody
to acquire suffering, so who is it who suffers?
When suffering
arises, we attach to the suffering and thereby must really suffer.
In the
same way,
when happiness arises, we attach to the happiness and consequently
experience
pleasure. Attachment to these feelings gives rise to the concept
of 'self' or
'ego' and
thoughts of 'we' and 'they' continually manifest. Nah!!
Here is where it all
begins
and then carries us around in its never-ending cycle.
So, we come
to practise meditation and live according to the Dhamma. We
leave our
homes to
come and live in the forest and absorb the peace of mind it gives us.
We have
fled in
order to contend with ourselves and not through fear or escapism.
But people
who come
and live in the forest become attached to living in it; just as people
who live in
the city
become attached to the city. They lose their way in the forest
and they lose their
way in
the city.
The Buddha
praised living in the forest because the physical and mental solitude that
it
gives us
is conducive to the practice for liberation. However, He didn't
want us to
become
dependent upon living in the forest or get stuck in its peace and tranquillity.
We
come to
practise in order for wisdom to arise. Here in the forest we
can sow and cultivate
the seeds
of wisdom. Living amongst chaos and turmoil these seeds have
difficulty in
growing,
but once we have learned to live in the forest, we can return and contend
with
the city
and all the stimulation of the senses that it brings us. Learning
to live in the forest
means to
allow wisdom to grow and develop. We can then apply this wisdom
no matter
where we
go.
When our
senses are stimulated, we become agitated and the senses become our
antagonists.
The antagonize us because we are still foolish and don't have the wisdom
to
deal with
them. In reality they are our teachers, but, because of our
ignorance, we don't
see it
that way. When we lived in the city we never thought that our
senses could teach
us anything.
As long as true wisdom has not yet manifested, we continue to see the
senses
and their objects as enemies. Once true wisdom arises, they
are no longer our
enemies
but become the doorway to insight and clear understanding.
A good example
is the wild chickens here in the forest. We all know how much
they are
afraid
of humans. However, since I have lived here in the forest I
have been able to teach
them and
learn from them as well. At one time I began throwing out rice
for them to eat.
At first
they were very frightened and wouldn't go near the rice. However,
after a long time
they got
used to it and even began to expect it. You see, there is something
to be learned
here--they
originally thought that there was danger in the rice, that the rice was
an enemy.
In truth
there was no danger in the rice, but they didn't know that the rice was
food and so
were afraid.
When they finally saw for themselves that there was nothing to fear, they
could come
and eat without any danger.
The chickens
learn naturally in this way. Living here in the forest we learn
in a similar
way.
Formerly we thought that our senses were a problem, and because of our
ignorance
in the
proper use of them, they caused us a lot trouble. However,
by experience in
practice
we learn to see them in accordance with Truth. We learn to
make use of them
just as
the chickens could use the rice. Then they are no longer opposed
to us and
problems
disappear.
As long
as we thing, investigate and understand wrongly, these things will oppose
us.
But as
soon as we begin to investigate properly, that which we experience will
bring us to
wisdom
and clear understanding, just as the chickens came to their understanding.
In
this way,
we can say that they practised "Vipassana". They know in accordance
with
Truth,
it's their insight.
In our practise,
we have our senses as tools which, when rightly used, enable us to
become
enlightened to the Dhamma. This is something which all meditator
should
contemplate.
When we don't see this clearly, we remain in perpetual conflict.
So, as we
live in the quietude of the forest, we continue to develop subtle feelings
and
prepare
the ground for cultivating wisdom. Don't think that when you
have gained some
peace of
mind living here in the quiet forest that that's enough. Don't
settle for just that!
Remember
that we have to cultivate and grow the seeds of wisdom.
As wisdom
matures and we begin to understand in accordance with the Truth, we will
no
longer
be dragged up and down. Usually, if we have a pleasant mood,
we behave one
way; and
if we have an unpleasant mood, we are another way. We like
something and we
are up;
we dislike something and we are down. In this way we are still
in conflict with
enemies.
When these things no longer oppose us, they become stabilized and balance
out.
There are no longer ups and downs or highs and lows. We understand
these things
of the
world and know that that's just the way it is. It's just "worldly
dhamma".
"Worldly dhamma"* changes to become the "Path". **
( * Worldly
dhamma: the eight worldly conditions are: gain and loss, honour
and dishonour,
happiness
and misery, praise and blame.)
( ** Path:
(the Eightfold Path) comprises 8 factors of spiritual practice leading
to the extinction of
suffering:
Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood,
Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness,
Right Concentration.)
"Worldly
dhamma" has eight ways; the "Path" has eight ways. Wherever
"worldly
dhamma"
exists, the "Path" is to be found also. When we live with clarity,
all of our
worldly
experience becomes the practising of the "Eightfold Path".
Without clarity,
"worldly
dhamma" predominates and we are turned away from the "Path".
When Right
Understanding
arises, liberation from suffering lies right here before us.
You will not find
liberation
by running around looking elsewhere!
So don't
be in a hurry and try to push or rush your practice. Do your
meditation gently
and gradually
step by step. In regard to peacefulness, if you want to become
peaceful,
then accept
it; if you don't become peaceful, then accept that also. That's
the nature of
the mind.
We must find our won practice and persistently keep at it.
Perhaps
wisdom does not arise! I used to think, about my practice,
that when there is no
wisdom,
I could force myself to have it. But it didn't work, things
remained the same.
Then, after
careful consideration, I saw that to contemplate things that we don't have
cannot
be done. So what's the best thing to do? It's better
just to practice with
equanimity.
If there is nothing to cause us concern, then there's nothing to remedy.
If
there's
no problem, then we don't have to try to solve it. When there
is a problem, that's
when you
must solve it, right there! There's no need to go searching
for anything special,
just live
normally. But know what your mind is! Live mindfully
and clearly
comprehending.
Let wisdom be your guide; don't live indulging in your moods.
Be
heedful
and alert! If there is nothing, that's fine; when something
arises, then investigate
and contemplate
it.
Coming to the Center
Try watching
a spider. A spider spins its web in any convenient niche and
then sits in the
center,
staying still and silent. Later, a fly comes along and lands
on the web. As soon as
it touches
and shakes the web, 'boop!'--the spider pounces and winds it up in thread.
It
stores
the insect away and then returns again to collect itself silently in the
center of the
web.
Watching
a spider like this can give rise to wisdom. Our six senses
have mind at the
center
surrounded by eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. When one of
the senses is
stimulated,
for instance, form contacting the eye, it shakes and reaches the mind.
The
mind is
that which knows, that which knows form. Just this much is
enough for wisdom
to arise.
It's that simple.
Like a spider
in its web, we should live keeping to ourselves. As soon as
the spider feels
an insect
contact the web, it quickly grabs it, ties it up and once again returns
to the
center.
This is not at all different from our own minds. "Coming to
the center" means
living
mindfully with clear comprehension, being always alert and doing everything
with
exactness
and precision--this is our center. There's really not a lot
for us to do; we just
carefully
live in this way. But that doesn't mean that we live heedlessly
thinking, "There is
no need
to do siting or walking meditation!" and so forget all about our practice.
We can't
be careless!
We must remain alert just as the spider waits to snatch up insects for
its food.
This is
all that we have to know--sitting and contemplating that spider.
Just this much
and wisdom
can arise spontaneously. Our mind is comparable to the spider,
our moods
and mental
impressions are comparable to the various insects. That's all
there is to it!
The senses
envelop and constantly stimulate the mind; when any of them contact
something,
it immediately reaches the mind. The mind then investigates
and examines it
thoroughly,
after which it returns to the center. This is how we abide--alert,
acting with
precision
and always mindfully comprehending with wisdom. Just this much
and our
practice
is complete.
This point
is very important! It isn't that we have to do sitting practice
throughout the day
and night,
or that we have to do walking meditation all day and all night long.
If this is our
view of
practice, then we really make it difficult for ourselves. We
should do what we can
according
to our strength and energy, using our physical capabilities in the proper
amount.
It's very
important to know the mind and the other senses well. Know
how they come and
how they
go, how they arise and how they pass away. Understand this
thoroughly! In
the language
of Dhamma we can also say that, just as the spider traps the various insects,
the mind
binds up the senses with Anicca-Dukkha-Anatta (impermanence,
unsatisfactoriness,
not-self). Where can they go? We keep them for
food, these things
are stored
away as our nourishment. *
( * Nourishment for contemplation, to feed wisdom.)
That's enough;
there's no more to do, just this much! This is the nourishment
for our
minds,
nourishment for one who is aware and understanding.
If you know
that these things are impermanent, bound up with suffering and that none
of it
is you,
then you would be crazy to go after them! If you don't see
clearly in this way, then
you must
suffer. When you take a good look and see these things as really
impermanent,
even though
they may seem worth going after, really they are not. Why do
you want them
when their
nature is pain and suffering? It's not ours, there is no self,
there is nothing
belonging
to us. So why are you seeking after them? All problems
are ended right here.
Where else
will you end them?
Just take
a good look at the spider and turn it inwards, turn it back unto yourself.
You will
see that
it's all the same. When the mind has seen Anicca-Dukkha Anatta,
it lets go and
releases
itself. It no longer attaches to suffering or to happiness.
This is the nourishment
for the
mind of one who practises and really trains himself. That's
all, it's that simple! You
don't have
to go searching anywhere! So no matter what you are doing,
you are there, no
need for
a lot of fuss and bother. In this way the momentum and energy
of your practice
will continuously
grow and mature.
Escape
This momentum
of practice leads us towards freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
We haven't
escaped from that cycle because we still insist on craving and desiring.
We
don't commit
unwholesome or immoral acts, but doing this only means that we are living
in accordance
with the Dhamma of morality: for instance, the chanting when
people ask
that all
beings not be separated from the things that they love and are fond of.
If you think
about it,
this is very childish. It's the way of people who still can't
let go.
This is
the nature of human desire--desire for things to be other than the way
that they are;
wishing
for longevity, hoping that there is no death or sickness. This
is how people hope
and desire,
then when you tell them that whatever desires they have which are not fulfilled
cause suffering,
it clobbers them right over the head. What can they say?
Nothing,
because
it's the Truth! You're pointing right at their desires.
When we
talk about desires we know that everyone has them and wants them fulfilled,
but
nobody
is willing to stop, nobody really wants to escape. Therefore
our practice must be
patiently
refined down. Those who practice steadfastly, without deviation
or slackness,
and have
a gentle and restrained manner, always persevering with constancy, those
are
the ones
who will know. No matter what arises, they will remain firm
and unshakeable.
source : http://www.geocities.com/~wtwilson3/
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