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 practiced 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 practice for
liberation! It isn't easy to live in accordance with true wisdom, but whoever
earnestly seeks the path and fruit and aspires to Nibbāna 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 colors 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 woman2. 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 Māra3. Māra 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 Māra's, a
hunter's snare, and the hunter is Māra.
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 color
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 practice as
monks in order to penetrate true wisdom, to rid ourselves of attachment.
Practice 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 practice, 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 practice 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
practice 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 practice 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 practice; 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, practicing
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 practicing 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
quarreled 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 practice 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 practice
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 practice 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. They
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 think,
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 practiced ''vipassanā''. They know in
accordance with truth, it's their insight.
In our practice, 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''4 changes
to become the ''path''5. ''Worldlydhamma'' 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 practicing of the
''eightfold path''. Without clarity, ''worldlydhamma'' 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 own 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-anattā(impermanence,
unsatisfactoriness, not-self). Where can they go? We keep them for food, these
things are stored away as our nourishment6. 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-anattā,
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 practices 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 unshakable.
Footnotes
A
discourse delivered to the assembly of monks after the recitation of thepātimokkha,
the monk's disciplinary code, at Wat Pah Pong during the rains retreat of 1976
Lit.
creatures with soft horns on their chest.
Māra: 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.
Worldly dhamma: the eight worldly conditions are: gain and loss, honor and
dishonor, 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.
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