0:00:00.470,0:00:08.251
Okay everyone, [br]so.. let's start.

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And, OK, tonight I'm gonna talk about[br]the Buddhist attitude to sensuality,

0:00:14.991,0:00:22.247
to sensual pleasures, and, as always,[br]one of the interesting things about

0:00:22.247,0:00:26.523
the Buddhist teachings is always has[br]a slightly different take on things,

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than most of the rest of the world,

0:00:28.862,0:00:32.152
and so it is also with sensuality[br]and sensual pleasures.

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And it is an important part of[br]the Buddhist path to understand

0:00:36.665,0:00:40.451
these things, and for that reason,[br]I think it is interesting, at least,

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to have kind of a broader understanding[br]how it fits in on the path,

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and how it kind of all is integrated into the[br]idea that we call Buddhist practice.

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But first of all, what do we mean by[br]sensual pleasures in Buddhism?

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And what we mean is of course the idea of[br]desire, when we talk about desire,

0:01:00.610,0:01:05.075
when we talk about desire in Buddhism,[br]for everything concerned with the five senses,

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anything you see, anything you hear,[br]anything you taste, anything you touch,

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even anything you smell in this world,

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that is the kind of the world of[br]the sensual, sensuality.

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So you can start to see pretty much[br]straight away,

0:01:18.273,0:01:22.364
if that is the world of sensuality,[br]that's pretty much all there is almost,

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that's kind of our world is bombarded by[br]the five senses throughout the day,

0:01:26.902,0:01:29.294
week after week, year after year,

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usually for the whole lifetime,[br]and only occasionally you escape

0:01:33.188,0:01:36.758
that world a little bit, maybe through[br]meditation practice or whatever,

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but basically, that is the life we live,[br]a sensual life, engulfed in sensual objects,

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and of course then the desire and[br]aversions that arise from that.

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So even at night, you dream something[br]and still in a sense,

0:01:52.020,0:01:55.540
you are enmeshed in the world of[br]sensuality, why is that?

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Because your dreams and all these things,[br]they are also often about such things,

0:02:01.704,0:02:06.146
so it's a very vast, very all encompassing[br]part of our life.

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So how do we Buddhists,[br]how do we think about it,

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how does the Buddha think about this,[br]I always want to come back to

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the word of the Buddha, what does[br]the Buddha say should be our attitude

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towards these things, [br]that is I want to talk about tonight.

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And the first thing, the first way[br]in which the Buddhism is different from

0:02:25.528,0:02:29.810
the rest of the world in thinking about[br]sensuality is that Buddhism doesn't

0:02:29.810,0:02:35.445
really have a puritanical kind of strain[br]to it, Buddhism doesn't say that

0:02:35.445,0:02:39.803
sensuality is bad just because it's[br]bad, Buddhism doesn't say that

0:02:39.803,0:02:45.178
enjoying ourselves in the world, [br]having relationships, entertainment,

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eating nice food, all that stuff is not[br]"bad" from a Buddhist point of view.

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So Buddhism lacks some of this puritanical[br]strain that you can sometimes find elsewhere

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in our society. That is already[br]quite a liberating thing, yeah?

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Enjoying oneself is OK. [br]One interesting passage in the...

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I've just thought about this beforehand,

0:03:06.872,0:03:09.202
there's an interesting passage[br]in the Pali canon,

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this is the Pali canon,[br]the word of the Buddha,

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and the word of the Buddha says,[br]to the monks,

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some of the monks might not be[br]practicing properly or

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kind of not fully getting into the meditation[br]or whatever, and he says to them,

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"You are missing out! You are missing out[br]the happiness of the monastic life!"

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The happiness of the monastic life,[br]what is that? That is kind of meditating,

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being peaceful inside, getting some of[br]the joy and happiness that comes from

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meditation practice.[br]If you don't get that happiness,

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you are not getting[br]the happiness of the monastic life,

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and you are also missing out on[br]the happiness of lay life, yeah?

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It's almost... I don't think[br]this is the point,

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the point is not that[br]you guys, you'd better disrobe

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and get back into lay life,[br]I don't think that's the point,

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but the point is that, as human beings,[br]desires, happiness or pleasures

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in one way or another, whether that is[br]the lay kind of pleasures of the senses,

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or the pleasures of the mind in[br]meditation, doesn't really matter,

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we always, life without pleasure[br]is a meaningless life.

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So this is the first thing, so Buddhism is[br]not anti-pleasure, or anti-happiness or

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anti-enjoyment, I think this is a very [br]important point to keep in mind,

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because sometimes you can[br]maybe get that idea from certain ways

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in which the Buddha's teachings are taught.[br]So this is the one side of the coin,

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but the other side of the coin is that[br]the Buddha also said that there can be

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certain dangers with sensual pleasures. [br]So what are those dangers?

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If we shouldn't be afraid of them,[br]how come they are dangerous as well?

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Then of course, one of the dangers,

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one of the main points of the Buddhist[br]teachings is to live well,

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to live with kindness and compassion.

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And of course, the moment that[br]those sensual pleasures take us

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beyond the boundary of morality,[br]when we start misbehaving,

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maybe stealing or committing adultery[br]or whatever else it is,

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once we get down that avenue,

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that is when we have taken[br]sensual indulgence too far.

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So we indulge,[br]maybe I shouldn't say indulge,

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we enjoy the sensual pleasures[br]within the bounds of morality, yeah?

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This is kind of the Buddhist attitude.

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So we don't hurt other people,[br]we don't hurt other beings,

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and when we don't do that,[br]then it is an acceptable way

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of enjoying the world around us.

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That is the first thing, [br]I think that's pretty obvious,

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you probably all know that already,[br]unless you are your first time here

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maybe tonight, because this is[br]kind of 101 Buddhism, yeah?

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But then the other reason[br]why sensuality is problematic,

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now we are getting to the[br]kind of deeper reasons,

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and one of the main reasons is[br]because sensuality is, to some extent,

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opposed to the meditation practice.

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If you really want to go[br]really really deep in meditation,

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if you don't just come here on a Friday night,

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I mean it's wonderful to come here[br]on Friday night, relax a little bit,

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just enjoy the good company,[br]and have a good time,

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I think that's a wonderful thing already,

0:06:06.149,0:06:09.212
but if you want to take meditation[br]a little bit deeper than that,

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say you come out to Jhana Grove[br]on a 9-day retreat with Ajahn Brahm,

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or something else, or you go to some other[br]retreat centre or whatever it is,

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if you want to take it deeper,[br]the deeper you want to take it,

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the more of an obstacle the sensual [br]desires and the sensual indulgence of

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the world actually becomes.[br]It's like a trade-off in a sense,

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the more you let go of the sensual world, [br]the more profound your meditation becomes,

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the more you're attached to the sensual work,

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the more kind of shallow[br]your meditation is.

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It's almost like an inversely[br]proportional relationship,

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to just use my old mathematics[br]from the University days, yeah,

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inversely proportional relationship,[br]sounds very mathematical,

0:06:47.780,0:06:50.535
we should have some of these[br]mathematical concepts

0:06:50.535,0:06:54.829
in Buddhist books to kind of make it[br]really clear what is going on, I reckon.

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So this is why it is problematic. [br]Why does it have to be like that?

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Very often, you hear people saying that,[br]"I want to enjoy the world and I also

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"want to enjoy meditation. I don't[br]want to give up one to have the other one,

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"I want to enjoy both, so what's the point[br]of becoming a monk, for example, or a nun

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"because that's really nuts, you can't[br]enjoy the ordinary life."

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But the point is that you cannot[br]enjoy both fully,

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there's always a trade-off between[br]the two, and this is the thing that

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I think a lot of people in[br]the Buddhist world, perhaps,

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especially in the West, because people are[br]still kind of fairly new to Buddhism,

0:07:31.807,0:07:35.466
they don't really grasp[br]what these concepts are,

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so to understand that,[br]you actually have to, you know,

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you have to actually see or read[br]some of the discourse of the Buddha,

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to see that this actually is the case.

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And when you think about it,[br]it is actually very obvious,

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I was gonna say blooming obvious,

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but that's kind of bad,[br]but it's very obvious, yeah?

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Why is it so obvious?[br]Because if you...

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especially if you indulge in sensual[br]pleasures, if you enjoy that too much,

0:08:00.386,0:08:04.367
what happens is that[br]you attach to the sensuality.

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Attachment is always just behind[br]indulgence and enjoyment,

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if you enjoy it a lot, you want it again,[br]that is attachment, you want to be there,

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you want to be able to see it, because[br]"wow, so many beautiful sites,"

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you want to be able to hear because the[br]music you listen to is so beautiful.

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And maybe it is, I'm not saying it isn't,[br]but you attach to that,

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or you want to enjoy your relationships,[br]or your food, or whatever it is,

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and all of that, because we indulge in it,[br]we attach to it,

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and when you attach to it, when you[br]try to meditate, you can't let go.

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Letting go is precisely the exact[br]opposite of indulgence,

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you go inwards,[br]and the more inwards you want to go,

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the more you have to let go of[br]the five senses and the sensual world.

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Yeah? If you hold onto the senses,[br]you can only go so far inside,

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the less you hold onto the senses, [br]the deeper you can go inside.

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So this is why there is a problem there,[br]and that is why, there is like a trade-off

0:09:02.091,0:09:05.492
between the sensual world[br]and the deep meditation.

0:09:05.492,0:09:10.182
So sensuality is not immoral,[br]it is not bad, it is not evil,

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as long as you do it in a moral way,

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but it can lead to a blockage[br]in your meditation practice,

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and that is why it is problematic.

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I'm sure you can see what I'm talking[br]about here, how, always going outside

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is the opposite of going inside.[br]If you attach to external things,

0:09:27.586,0:09:32.256
you cannot let go and go inside as a[br]consequence, there's a trade-off there.

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So once you understand that,[br]you start to understand

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why there is such a thing[br]as monastic life, yeah?

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This is precisely why,[br]because monastic life is

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trying to enhance that process of[br]letting go of external things,

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while moving more inwards,[br]that is what this whole thing is about,

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that is why there is such a thing[br]as monastic life.

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These things are far harder[br]to do in lay life

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than they are in the monastic life,[br]and that is why we live in this way.

0:10:02.197,0:10:07.615
It's not because we are world-denying,[br]boring kind of people sitting in the forest,

0:10:07.615,0:10:11.106
crying by ourselves, [br]because it's such a terrible thing

0:10:11.106,0:10:13.275
to be a monastic,[br]that's not really the point.

0:10:13.275,0:10:15.205
The point is that it's actually...

0:10:15.205,0:10:17.651
we are not kind of masochists[br]or anything like that,

0:10:17.651,0:10:19.969
there is another point[br]to this whole thing.

0:10:19.969,0:10:24.709
So, this is the reason, and then there is...[br]this is actually a very important reason,

0:10:24.709,0:10:27.198
I think, if you really want to[br]enjoy meditation,

0:10:27.198,0:10:29.777
some degree of letting go is[br]actually necessary,

0:10:29.777,0:10:32.344
and I'm sure you can see that[br]already to some extent,

0:10:32.344,0:10:34.721
even just by coming here[br]on Friday nights.

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But there is a third reason why[br]sensuality is problematic,

0:10:39.711,0:10:44.195
and now we are coming to the really deep[br]parts of the Buddhist teachings,

0:10:44.195,0:10:51.950
and in a deeper sense the sensuality is[br]the bond that ties us to saṃsāra.

0:10:51.950,0:10:56.675
That is why it is really problematic.[br]Saṃsāra is this Pali word which means like

0:10:56.675,0:11:01.258
the round of existence. You carry on,[br]you born here, you die there,

0:11:01.258,0:11:06.290
rebirth and re-death. [br]Have you heard the word re-death before?

0:11:06.290,0:11:09.536
Re-death is a really good word[br]because you don't die only once,

0:11:09.536,0:11:12.894
you die many times. If you get reborn,[br]you get have to re-die as well,

0:11:12.894,0:11:18.589
I think we should kind of start this,[br]you know, implement this word "re-death"

0:11:18.589,0:11:22.487
in the Buddhist teaching because it really[br]gets to the point of what this is about.

0:11:22.487,0:11:24.979
Rebirth, re-death, re-life, re-everything.

0:11:24.979,0:11:27.459
That's kind of part of[br]the problem here.

0:11:27.459,0:11:31.734
So if you don't want all this "re-,"[br]we can just kind of shorten it down to "re-"

0:11:31.734,0:11:33.712
that kind of make it a bit simple,

0:11:33.712,0:11:36.152
if there's not all this "re-" stuff[br]all the time

0:11:36.152,0:11:40.222
there comes a point when you start to[br]realise that actually the bondage to

0:11:40.222,0:11:44.605
saṃsāric existence, that is the real[br]problem, and the most powerful,

0:11:44.605,0:11:48.984
the strongest of all those bonds is[br]the bond of sensuality:

0:11:48.984,0:11:53.290
It ties you to saṃsāra, why?[br]Because sensuality is always about future,

0:11:53.290,0:11:56.430
it's about craving,[br]it's about moving somewhere else,

0:11:56.430,0:11:58.510
always moving towards something,

0:11:58.510,0:12:00.995
never really being satisfied[br]in the present moment,

0:12:00.995,0:12:05.315
and that moving towards something is like[br]a projection of yourself into the future,

0:12:05.315,0:12:08.934
that is why it ties you eternally,[br]hopefully not eternally,

0:12:08.934,0:12:13.537
but for a long time into the future[br]again and again and again.

0:12:13.537,0:12:16.408
So these are some of the reasons,

0:12:16.408,0:12:18.933
you can see here again[br]the balance of Buddhism.

0:12:18.933,0:12:21.856
The balance of seeing the problem[br]with something,

0:12:21.856,0:12:26.722
seeing the gratification and the problem,[br]and then finding a kind of middle way.

0:12:26.722,0:12:30.130
So many things in the Buddhist teachings[br]are about a middle way,

0:12:30.130,0:12:33.287
and so it is also with sensuality.

0:12:33.287,0:12:36.764
So it's a natural path,[br]whereby your meditation deepens,

0:12:36.764,0:12:41.914
you naturally let go of things[br]that actually are less important to you.

0:12:41.920,0:12:45.402
Sensuality becomes less important,[br]meditation becomes more important,

0:12:45.402,0:12:50.192
you don't force it, you don't push it[br]aside, it happens quite naturally,

0:12:50.192,0:12:55.144
this is a beautiful part,[br]the beautiful path that you see right there.

0:12:55.144,0:13:02.442
So if there is a problem with sensuality,[br]if you are really keen on

0:13:02.442,0:13:07.215
your spiritual path, I don't know how keen you are,[br]everyone here probably to various degrees,

0:13:07.215,0:13:11.806
but don't leave just because you're not 100% keen, [br]because still might be interesting

0:13:11.806,0:13:16.957
to see what's happening next. [br]I promise to... for me anyway

0:13:16.957,0:13:19.544
it's very interesting, [br]it's very hard for me to understand

0:13:19.544,0:13:23.079
what other people find interesting, [br]that's my own limitation really,

0:13:23.079,0:13:25.709
but I think some of[br]these things actually are.

0:13:25.709,0:13:30.157
It's a big picture view of life and[br]the world, and this is why it is interesting.

0:13:30.157,0:13:34.962
So how can we deal with these things[br]in such a way to move a little bit away

0:13:34.962,0:13:39.786
from sensuality, and a little bit more[br]towards spiritual happiness

0:13:39.786,0:13:42.624
and meditation and[br]depth of meditation?

0:13:42.624,0:13:47.334
How can we actually do that[br]in a way that is easy, natural,

0:13:47.334,0:13:51.960
not kind of forced or anything like that?[br]And the first thing,

0:13:51.960,0:13:55.394
one of the things I that always found[br]very interesting in the suttas,

0:13:55.394,0:13:58.081
when he talks about overcoming

0:13:58.081,0:14:01.161
the defilements and[br]the problems of the mind.

0:14:01.161,0:14:06.462
The defilements and the problems usually[br]you can summarise them in two main

0:14:06.462,0:14:11.530
defilements, one being ill-will, including[br]anger and upset and all that kind of stuff

0:14:11.530,0:14:14.295
and the other one being desire.

0:14:14.295,0:14:18.451
These are the two kind of main defilements[br]that we tend to deal with,

0:14:18.451,0:14:21.881
and of course dealing with ill-will is[br]actually the most important one.

0:14:21.881,0:14:26.127
If I'm gonna really recommend you to[br]deal with one thing in your life,

0:14:26.127,0:14:31.021
of your mental phenomena that are[br]problematic, ill-will, is Number 1.

0:14:31.021,0:14:33.420
Please, if you are serious[br]about this path,

0:14:33.420,0:14:37.747
see if you can do something about that. [br]I may give a talk here again about how to

0:14:37.747,0:14:41.623
deal with ill-will, because I think it's such[br]an incredibly important part of the path

0:14:41.623,0:14:44.826
and surprisingly you may think[br]that it's hard to get rid of ill-will,

0:14:44.826,0:14:46.956
it isn't that hard actually,

0:14:46.956,0:14:51.024
especially if you have the right motivation,[br]the right kind of perseverance,

0:14:51.024,0:14:55.324
everyone can get rid of ill-will,[br]at least to a large extent,

0:14:55.324,0:15:00.979
maybe not 100%, but at least a lot of it.[br]So that is ill-will, so focus on that,

0:15:00.979,0:15:04.804
but sensuality also[br]is a little bit of a problem,

0:15:04.804,0:15:06.862
so that's what I want to focus on now.

0:15:06.862,0:15:10.642
So how does the Buddha say[br]we should deal with these things?

0:15:10.642,0:15:14.479
What is kind of the method? And very often,[br]people think that you deal with

0:15:14.479,0:15:18.017
these things through[br]meditation practice, by sitting here,

0:15:18.017,0:15:22.452
and becoming peaceful and calm, [br]and that is certainly part of it,

0:15:22.452,0:15:27.178
but really, one of the remarkable things[br]I remember reading the suttas,

0:15:27.178,0:15:31.525
when the Buddha says that[br]there is two powers in your meditation,

0:15:31.525,0:15:35.870
the two powers on the spiritual path,[br]and the first power is

0:15:35.870,0:15:41.280
the power of reflection. Yeah?[br]What does the power of reflection do?

0:15:41.280,0:15:45.629
And the Buddha says that the power of[br]reflection, what it does,

0:15:45.629,0:15:49.758
it overcomes the misconduct[br]by body, speech and mind,

0:15:49.758,0:15:54.926
and it allows you to have good conduct[br]by body, speech and mind. In other words,

0:15:54.926,0:15:58.969
all your ability to practice morality[br]by body and speech,

0:15:58.969,0:16:03.219
and also your ability to think[br]in a way that is not destructive

0:16:03.219,0:16:07.556
for your meditation, including[br]getting rid of ill-will and sensuality

0:16:07.556,0:16:10.155
it's all about how we reflect[br]about the world,

0:16:10.155,0:16:15.085
how we think about things, it is not just[br]about sitting back and enjoying the peace,

0:16:15.085,0:16:19.611
that is a little bit of it, but mainly[br]it's about how we think about things.

0:16:19.611,0:16:24.740
So it's very interesting: what that means[br]is that if we learn to think

0:16:24.740,0:16:28.209
in the right way, we can actually[br]overcome these problems.

0:16:28.209,0:16:31.499
So this is what I want to do tonight,[br]I want to look at a bit more

0:16:31.499,0:16:33.942
how can we think about these things[br]in such a way

0:16:33.942,0:16:36.092
that these things actually are reduced.

0:16:36.092,0:16:38.776
And then, when you have[br]that power of reflection,

0:16:38.776,0:16:42.639
then comes the second power,[br]which is bhāvanābala.

0:16:42.639,0:16:48.073
Do you like Pali words? Yeah?[br]Sounds pretty cool, good to you, cool?

0:16:48.073,0:16:51.499
I like Pali words, I always find it very[br]nice to come back to the Pali,

0:16:51.499,0:16:54.278
because I love reading the suttas, [br]the word of the Buddha,

0:16:54.278,0:16:57.995
bhāvanābala means the power of meditation,[br]or the power of development.

0:16:57.995,0:17:01.894
I think in Sinhalese bhāvanā is actually[br]used specifically to refer to meditation

0:17:01.894,0:17:07.005
practice, and in large part[br]that's true also of the suttas.

0:17:07.005,0:17:11.858
So once that meditation,[br]the power of meditation is

0:17:11.858,0:17:15.982
to develop the really deep samādhis[br]on the path, the four jhanas,

0:17:15.982,0:17:19.328
the seven factors of awakening, [br]and these kind of things.

0:17:19.328,0:17:23.512
So a very deep meditation practice[br]that that is about,

0:17:23.512,0:17:27.344
and it's not so much about [br]overcoming defilements,

0:17:27.344,0:17:30.486
but to go really deep in your meditation.

0:17:30.486,0:17:34.543
So remember that, learn to think[br]in the right way.

0:17:34.543,0:17:37.840
As you think in the right way,[br]your life starts to change,

0:17:37.840,0:17:40.822
the way you think about people,[br]the way you reflect on things,

0:17:40.822,0:17:44.290
the way you perceive reality around[br]you is actually different,

0:17:44.290,0:17:47.787
because you are reflecting[br]in the right way.

0:17:47.787,0:17:50.306
So, how do we do this? [br]And what I'm gonna do,

0:17:50.306,0:17:54.093
this is my kind of standard way of[br]talking about sensual pleasures,

0:17:54.093,0:17:57.153
and many of you would have[br]heard about it before,

0:17:57.153,0:17:59.276
but please don't leave because of that,

0:17:59.276,0:18:03.994
because these are things that are eternally[br]important and wonderful to hear about

0:18:03.994,0:18:07.562
many many times in my opinion.[br]I have heard it more than any one of you,

0:18:07.562,0:18:11.955
and I still get inspired by[br]some of these teachings.

0:18:11.955,0:18:16.765
So... to make the point clear,[br]what the Buddha does,

0:18:16.765,0:18:22.194
he gives a number of similes that refer[br]directly to sensual pleasures,

0:18:22.194,0:18:25.369
and I'm gonna recount[br]some of these similes for you,

0:18:25.369,0:18:31.892
and remember, similes and these little stories[br]the Buddha uses are tools of reflection,

0:18:31.892,0:18:34.462
tools for how to think about the world,

0:18:34.462,0:18:36.908
not tools for forcing you[br]one way or another one,

0:18:36.908,0:18:41.091
but for natural reflection and maturing[br]of the mind as a consequence of

0:18:41.091,0:18:45.971
these reflections. [br]So the first simile that the Buddha uses,

0:18:45.971,0:18:49.208
one of the similes that he uses is

0:18:49.208,0:18:54.161
what is called the simile of[br]the grass torch, the burning grass torch.

0:18:54.161,0:18:58.927
The Buddha says that,[br]imagine, someone coming along,

0:18:58.927,0:19:03.505
and they have a grass torch, they have[br]a grass torch which is burning,

0:19:03.505,0:19:07.758
and then they go against the wind,[br]the wind coming in one direction,

0:19:07.758,0:19:11.641
the grass torch, coming front of you.[br]What happens is, the grass torch,

0:19:11.641,0:19:16.511
of course, has all the cinders, [br]and all the burning things coming off

0:19:16.511,0:19:20.375
it all the time, that's what a grass torch[br]is like, so if you go against the wind,

0:19:20.375,0:19:25.856
all the things, all the cinders, would kind of[br]hit you, and soon enough,

0:19:25.856,0:19:29.362
you'll be on fire if you're not[br]very careful, and if you are on fire,

0:19:29.362,0:19:34.314
that's usually considered painful[br]in Buddhism, that's dukkha, suffering.

0:19:34.314,0:19:38.739
So you wanna avoid getting on fire,[br]this is kind of the simile here.

0:19:38.739,0:19:42.876
So what does this mean?[br]How is this a simile for sensual pleasures

0:19:42.876,0:19:48.059
of the world? And the way this works is[br]when you grab onto that grass torch,

0:19:48.059,0:19:52.870
you are attaching to the sensual objects[br]and the sensual pleasures

0:19:52.870,0:19:55.708
of the world, yeah?[br]You start taking up a relationship,

0:19:55.708,0:19:59.042
or taking up a certain kind of[br]entertainment, or whatever it is,

0:19:59.042,0:20:02.342
and you grasp onto that,[br]your life revolve around those things,

0:20:02.342,0:20:05.425
and as you attach to those things[br]of the world,

0:20:05.425,0:20:08.823
because you are attaching to them, [br]it is a little bit of light from

0:20:08.823,0:20:11.959
that grass torch, and that light[br]you get from the grass torch,

0:20:11.959,0:20:15.172
that is like the happiness that comes[br]from the sensual pleasures.

0:20:15.172,0:20:19.669
But soon enough, the grass, the happiness[br]that comes from the light, it turns into suffering,

0:20:19.669,0:20:23.069
because you're going against the wind. [br]What is that suffering?

0:20:23.069,0:20:28.249
That suffering is that as soon as we attach[br]to things in the world,

0:20:28.249,0:20:33.730
we are essentially asking for suffering.[br]Why? Because all the things in the world,

0:20:33.730,0:20:38.760
worldly things are inherently[br]impermanent, always subject to change,

0:20:38.760,0:20:43.514
out of our control, unreliable,[br]fundamentally unreliable,

0:20:43.514,0:20:50.349
and if you try to grasp onto and attach to[br]something that is by nature unreliable,

0:20:50.349,0:20:55.200
by nature impermanent,[br]what's gonna happen? You're gonna suffer.

0:20:55.200,0:21:00.389
It's kind of very basic Buddhist idea,[br]if things are impermanent,

0:21:00.389,0:21:05.627
suffering must happen as a consequence.[br]So think about it.

0:21:05.627,0:21:09.593
This really is, really problematic,

0:21:09.593,0:21:13.846
and sometimes people say,[br]"if I'm gonna be a good Buddhist,

0:21:13.846,0:21:17.482
"what I should do then is[br]just to avoid attachments."

0:21:17.482,0:21:20.364
Yeah? You can try that and see[br]how that works in your life,

0:21:20.364,0:21:23.800
try to avoid all attachments, [br]and the answer is it is impossible

0:21:23.800,0:21:29.114
to avoid all attachments, maybe if you're[br]an arahant, and usually at this point,

0:21:29.114,0:21:31.539
I'd like to ask how many arahants[br]in the assembly,

0:21:31.539,0:21:34.269
and usually what you find[br]is not that many, yeah?

0:21:34.269,0:21:37.455
Not that many in the assembly,[br]so that is the problem,

0:21:37.455,0:21:41.366
because you're not arahant, yeah,[br]you are going to attach. Why?

0:21:41.366,0:21:44.966
Because all of this comes from[br]the sense of self.

0:21:44.966,0:21:50.133
When there is a perception of a self inside,[br]that is permanent, that is always there,

0:21:50.133,0:21:54.487
that sense of self would take certain[br]things in the world to belong to it.

0:21:54.487,0:21:59.433
"These are my things,[br]this is my realm of control", if you like.

0:21:59.433,0:22:02.686
The sense of self believes[br]it can control the world,

0:22:02.686,0:22:05.216
it forgets about[br]the impermanence of things,

0:22:05.216,0:22:09.045
and kind of projects the sense of self[br]outwards to all these other things as well,

0:22:09.045,0:22:13.304
and because we think we can control,[br]we try to control, but we can't.

0:22:13.304,0:22:17.731
The world always goes according to[br]its own causes and conditions,

0:22:17.731,0:22:21.551
and our ability to control things[br]is actually supremely limited.

0:22:21.551,0:22:26.970
Then things fall apart, we grieve,[br]yeah? We cry, we feel despair,

0:22:26.970,0:22:30.498
because things aren't going according to[br]plan, how we wanted them go,

0:22:30.498,0:22:34.501
and it's because we haven't really[br]understood the Buddhist idea of

0:22:34.501,0:22:38.884
impermanence, of unreliability. [br]Take that on board! Yeah?

0:22:38.884,0:22:43.379
If you take that on board you don't grasp[br]so strongly on that grass torch any more,

0:22:43.379,0:22:47.382
you realise the grass torch is[br]inherently problematic, you're gonna burn,

0:22:47.382,0:22:52.224
and if you burn, if you burn up,[br]then of course, after while, you're gonna die!

0:22:52.224,0:22:55.929
So that's what happens when you burn,[br]and this is really problematic for you.

0:22:55.929,0:22:59.685
So you grasp a little bit more lightly,[br]you seek for happiness and satisfaction

0:22:59.685,0:23:03.681
in the world in slightly different places,[br]not so much in those places

0:23:03.681,0:23:07.265
where you have to grasp[br]and attach so strongly.

0:23:07.265,0:23:09.885
The simile of the grass torch, yeah,

0:23:09.885,0:23:15.052
one of the most basic, fundamental similes[br]for the problem of the sensual world.

0:23:15.052,0:23:19.883
If you go inside, it is slightly different[br]because you don't grasp so strongly onto

0:23:19.883,0:23:22.954
the internal states of the mind,[br]it's a much lighter touch

0:23:22.954,0:23:26.121
that you have with those things.

0:23:26.121,0:23:30.664
Simile Number 2. This is the simile of[br]the Buddha where he talks about,

0:23:30.664,0:23:37.845
it's about birds, and this bird has[br]kind of got hold of a piece of meat,

0:23:37.845,0:23:42.259
and of course if a bird gets hold of[br]meat, it's a very happy bird, yeah?

0:23:42.259,0:23:47.387
So the bird takes off, holds the piece[br]of meat in its little claws and flies off.

0:23:47.387,0:23:51.080
But of course, there are many other birds[br]who would also like a piece of meat,

0:23:51.080,0:23:54.220
you don't get left alone if you are a bird[br]holding a piece of meat.

0:23:54.220,0:23:57.649
Other birds want it too. [br]So as soon as it flies off,

0:23:57.649,0:24:01.492
the other birds also take off,[br]follow that bird, grab hold of it,

0:24:01.492,0:24:04.385
try to rip out the piece of meat[br]from its claws, yeah?

0:24:04.385,0:24:10.197
And the Buddha says, if that bird doesn't[br]give up that piece of meat quickly,

0:24:10.197,0:24:14.356
what's gonna happen to that bird?[br]Well, it will either suffer or it will die

0:24:14.356,0:24:17.371
because it will have to fight with[br]these other birds, yeah?

0:24:17.371,0:24:20.785
That is the consequence of[br]grabbing hold of that piece of meat.

0:24:20.785,0:24:27.611
And as you kind of understand, the piece[br]of meat of course is here a simile for

0:24:27.611,0:24:32.716
the sensual pleasures, or the sensual[br]objects of the world, yeah?

0:24:32.716,0:24:38.116
Because we grab onto those sensual objects,[br]the problem is that the world is such

0:24:38.116,0:24:41.567
that other people also want[br]those sensual objects, yeah?

0:24:41.567,0:24:45.747
As soon as you find some wonderful[br]person to share your life with,

0:24:45.747,0:24:48.970
and kind of you're thinking about[br]having a partnership,

0:24:48.970,0:24:52.145
you find that other people too[br]are interested in that person, yeah?

0:24:52.145,0:24:56.445
Problematic, and even if you actually[br]have a nice partnership,

0:24:56.445,0:25:00.125
and you find somebody to live with, [br]then of course you are eternally slightly

0:25:00.125,0:25:03.830
worried that that person might leave you,[br]maybe they will find someone else.

0:25:03.830,0:25:07.613
There's always some underlying concern[br]there because you never know.

0:25:07.613,0:25:11.396
This is kind of the fighting over[br]the piece of meat almost, yeah?

0:25:11.396,0:25:15.610
We are fighting over things in the world,[br]and the world is full of that,

0:25:15.610,0:25:21.179
so much of how we live our life,[br]and how the world works is this fight

0:25:21.179,0:25:24.836
over limited resources. [br]Everybody wants more,

0:25:24.836,0:25:29.199
nobody is ever quite satisfied, there is[br]no kind of end-point in terms of craving,

0:25:29.199,0:25:32.240
and because there is no[br]end-point for all of us,

0:25:32.240,0:25:34.263
we fight over limited resources,

0:25:34.263,0:25:37.136
always wanting more,[br]always wanting to go somewhere else.

0:25:37.136,0:25:41.629
There's a beautiful story that in the...[br]this is in the sutta called the

0:25:41.629,0:25:45.636
"Raṭṭhapāla Sutta", a very nice sutta[br]that I would recommend you all to read

0:25:45.636,0:25:49.304
if you have the chance, is of a young man[br]from a very wealthy family,

0:25:49.304,0:25:53.756
and he goes forth in the time of[br]the Buddha, and he has got everything in life,

0:25:53.756,0:25:56.456
and then he goes forth,[br]his parents try to hold him back..

0:25:56.456,0:25:59.100
I'm not gonna tell the whole story,[br]it's a long story,

0:25:59.100,0:26:03.533
it's a very kind of nice one, quite funny,[br]and entertaining as well,

0:26:03.533,0:26:06.447
this is a nice thing about[br]the Buddha's teachings,

0:26:06.447,0:26:09.779
it's both a little bit entertaining,[br]and profound at the same time,

0:26:09.779,0:26:12.267
so beautiful combination.

0:26:12.267,0:26:15.260
Anyway, so he goes forth, yeah,[br]against his parents' wishes,

0:26:15.260,0:26:18.477
his parents are really opposed to it,[br]and he goes forth,

0:26:18.477,0:26:22.485
and then he becomes an arahant.[br]When he comes back after being an arahant,

0:26:22.485,0:26:25.067
his parents try to lure him[br]back to lay life,

0:26:25.067,0:26:27.715
"oh, come and get all this[br]gold and stuff."

0:26:27.715,0:26:31.110
And he comes, he's an arahant, he's[br]fully enlightened, he's not interested in

0:26:31.110,0:26:34.666
gold and that kind of thing any more,[br]so he kind of dismisses his parents,

0:26:34.666,0:26:38.194
he calls his father "householder",[br]that's one of the things that I remember

0:26:38.194,0:26:40.770
from there. [br]He says "householder" to his father,

0:26:40.770,0:26:43.495
and I have never tried to say[br]that to my own father,

0:26:43.495,0:26:48.145
because I think it may go down[br]really badly if I said that (laughter).

0:26:48.145,0:26:50.347
"Householder"... OK,

0:26:50.347,0:26:56.943
but... then he realises that, [br]so his parents kind of give up on him,

0:26:56.943,0:27:00.042
and he goes off into the forest,[br]he goes into the forest,

0:27:00.042,0:27:06.169
and a local king comes out to see him,[br]and the king comes out, and the king asks,

0:27:06.169,0:27:09.274
the king is very old that this point,[br]and he asks Raṭṭhapāla,

0:27:09.274,0:27:13.027
"you have got everything for goodness[br]sake, you have got a good education,

0:27:13.027,0:27:16.193
"you come from a good family, [br]you are wealthy, you have friends,

0:27:16.193,0:27:20.753
"you have everything in life, why on earth[br]did you go forth? Are you nuts?"

0:27:20.753,0:27:24.235
No, he didn't say that, I made that up,[br]that's not the part of the sutta,

0:27:24.235,0:27:26.563
I'm adding a little bit for effects..

0:27:26.563,0:27:30.153
Because he's much too respectful[br]to ask a question like that,

0:27:30.153,0:27:34.485
so, but he says,[br]"why did you go forth? Is because of...

0:27:34.485,0:27:38.084
"what is the reason?"[br]And then Raṭṭhapāla tells him,

0:27:38.084,0:27:41.769
"well, because I understood[br]these four principles of Dhamma,"

0:27:41.769,0:27:47.882
and one of these principles is that[br]the world is a slave to craving,

0:27:47.882,0:27:51.936
the world is insatiate,[br]a slave to craving.

0:27:51.936,0:27:55.686
You are not in charge, this is the reason[br]why we like to desire sometimes,

0:27:55.686,0:27:58.263
because we think we are in charge,

0:27:58.263,0:28:02.117
the desire is mine, I will use desire[br]as my tool to get things.

0:28:02.117,0:28:06.848
No, it's the exact opposite, again[br]the Buddha turns the world around 180°.

0:28:06.848,0:28:10.028
It's the opposite, you are the slave,[br]craving is in charge.

0:28:10.028,0:28:13.816
You are saying, "yes, master,[br]lead me wherever you want to go,"

0:28:13.816,0:28:18.615
and you follow after your master.[br]Craving is your master. Can you see that?

0:28:18.615,0:28:21.652
The reason you can't see it is[br]because you have a sense of self,

0:28:21.652,0:28:24.989
that tells you you are in charge,[br]and you are doing these things,

0:28:24.989,0:28:28.138
but actually, that is false.[br]What is true is craving is in charge,

0:28:28.138,0:28:32.844
and you are following along like this silly[br]dog on a leash or something like that,

0:28:32.844,0:28:35.047
yeah, going this way, going that way,

0:28:35.047,0:28:37.676
"yes, master, where would you[br]want to go next?" Yeah?

0:28:37.676,0:28:41.166
That's craving for you, and it's[br]terrible if you think about it.

0:28:41.166,0:28:44.587
So then, this is what Raṭṭhapāla says to[br]the king, and the king says,

0:28:44.587,0:28:46.878
"I don't understand,[br]what are you talking about?"

0:28:46.878,0:28:52.685
And Raṭṭhapāla says, "well, your majesty,[br]imagine that there was a man,

0:28:52.685,0:28:56.048
"you are already wealthy,[br]you have this enormous kingdom,

0:28:56.048,0:29:00.789
"you have gold and silver piled up[br]in massive storehouses, you have grain,

0:29:00.789,0:29:05.234
"you have everything in this large kingdom[br]of yours, but imagine the man came from

0:29:05.234,0:29:09.625
"the west, and this man in the west said,[br]'well, to the west of your kingdom,

0:29:09.625,0:29:14.423
'there is another kingdom, full of gold,[br]full of silver, full of treasure,

0:29:14.423,0:29:17.638
full of all kinds of elephants and horses[br]and all this kind of stuff.'"

0:29:17.638,0:29:21.650
Elephants and horses and cattle were[br]kind of very much part of

0:29:21.650,0:29:24.987
what was considered wealth[br]in those days, yeah?

0:29:24.987,0:29:29.325
'But even though this kingdom[br]to the west has all these things,

0:29:29.325,0:29:34.343
'its army is weaker than yours. If you[br]wish, you could conquer that country.'

0:29:34.343,0:29:36.862
"What would you do, your majesty?"

0:29:36.862,0:29:40.705
And the king replies,[br]"oh we would conquer it of course.."

0:29:40.705,0:29:45.866
And, as if its absolutely obvious[br]that you conquer countries if you can,

0:29:45.866,0:29:49.377
and then he says, "well, if there was[br]another man coming from the north,

0:29:49.377,0:29:52.092
"and said exactly the same thing.[br]What would you do?"

0:29:52.092,0:29:54.304
"Oh, we would conquer[br]that country as well."

0:29:54.304,0:29:58.007
"What if there was another man coming[br]from the east?" "Conquer that one, too."

0:29:58.007,0:30:01.754
"From the south?" "Conquer that one, too."[br]"Overseas?" "Conquer that one, too."

0:30:01.754,0:30:03.865
"Is there any kingdom[br]you would not conquer?"

0:30:03.865,0:30:06.596
Again, that question is not there,[br]but is kind of implied,

0:30:06.596,0:30:10.150
"Of course not! Conquer anything[br]that is there if it's weaker than mine,

0:30:10.150,0:30:14.367
"we will conquer it."[br]So where does desire end?

0:30:14.367,0:30:17.644
It doesn't end, yeah?[br]It just expands, expands, expands,

0:30:17.644,0:30:22.230
and once you get the whole Earth,[br]you're kind of setting your sights on Mars

0:30:22.230,0:30:26.150
and Venus probably,[br]because you're not satisfied yet.

0:30:26.150,0:30:28.924
And then the next solar system and[br]then the next galaxy.

0:30:28.924,0:30:33.006
And I reckon the reason why all of these[br]physicists had this idea of the multiverse,

0:30:33.006,0:30:36.258
have you heard about the multiverse?[br]This idea in astronomy,

0:30:36.258,0:30:39.528
that there's not only one universe,[br]but there are many universes.

0:30:39.528,0:30:44.381
I think they realise that when craving[br]comes, and the entire universe is yours,

0:30:44.381,0:30:49.169
where is craving gonna go?[br]"Ok, better build, make up a multiverse,

0:30:49.169,0:30:51.934
"then there's more chance of[br]satisfying our craving,"

0:30:51.934,0:30:55.816
That's where I think the multiverse idea[br]came from, kind of some sort of, maybe,

0:30:55.816,0:31:03.019
a secret subconscious drive of craving[br]that kind of brought forth the idea of

0:31:03.019,0:31:06.939
the multiverse. That's a very heretical[br]idea, don't tell that to any astronomers,

0:31:06.939,0:31:10.322
they will kind of tell you[br]that I'm a fool, an idiot.

0:31:10.322,0:31:13.039
I don't understand astronomy[br]or physics, of course.

0:31:13.039,0:31:15.310
But it kind of makes sense[br]though, doesn't it?

0:31:15.310,0:31:19.152
Because craving knows no bounds, [br]there is no limit, it keeps on going,

0:31:19.152,0:31:23.406
and going and going. And this is the problem.[br]So this is the thing here, yeah,

0:31:23.406,0:31:28.399
and this is why there is never enough,[br]never enough to satisfy everyone,

0:31:28.399,0:31:32.480
this is why we have craving, the desire,[br]this is one of the reasons why we have

0:31:32.480,0:31:36.590
the Royal Banking Commission in Australia[br]right now, because people are just greedy,

0:31:36.590,0:31:40.405
and there is not enough, and you fight.[br]You have an office full of politics,

0:31:40.405,0:31:44.136
and people fighting in the office,[br]trying to put down others,

0:31:44.136,0:31:47.837
and make themselves look glorious, [br]and they would kind of get the promotion

0:31:47.837,0:31:51.367
or the bonus or whatever it is,[br]and this is the problem with these things,

0:31:51.367,0:31:54.725
fighting over things,[br]always trying to get ahead,

0:31:54.725,0:31:58.195
and then having lots of casualties[br]of course on the way.

0:31:58.195,0:32:02.515
So this is to me a very problematic[br]part with sensuality,

0:32:02.515,0:32:09.030
sensuality is inherently full of conflict,[br]inherently it leads to violence,

0:32:09.030,0:32:13.226
inherently it leads to wars[br]and all kinds of problems, yeah?

0:32:13.226,0:32:16.406
And you can see[br]why that has to be the case,

0:32:16.406,0:32:20.186
because there is never enough for[br]everyone, because craving knows no limits,

0:32:20.186,0:32:24.318
and we want the same kind of things, [br]and ultimately we will fight over it,

0:32:24.318,0:32:27.843
fight over the inheritance,[br]fight over the promotion at work,

0:32:27.843,0:32:32.437
fight over the last piece of cake, if you[br]are little children, fight over toys.

0:32:32.437,0:32:35.497
Whatever it is, there's always the world[br]of sensuality

0:32:35.497,0:32:39.215
tends to lead towards[br]conflict and violence.

0:32:39.215,0:32:42.335
Think about that, and that is very [br]off-putting in a way, yeah?

0:32:42.335,0:32:46.534
You cannot really have a peaceful world[br]as long as sensuality is involved.

0:32:46.534,0:32:50.613
So that is the second simile of[br]the Buddha,

0:32:50.613,0:32:53.404
and I think a very very powerful one.

0:32:53.404,0:32:59.552
The third simile of the Buddha,[br]it's not his third one, but it is a simile

0:32:59.552,0:33:05.006
anyway, the third one in this talk,[br]that is the simile of the dream.

0:33:05.006,0:33:08.195
The Buddha says that sensual pleasures[br]are like a dream.

0:33:08.195,0:33:12.223
We talk about the world not being real,[br]sometimes being like an illusion,

0:33:12.223,0:33:16.997
being like a projection of the mind, [br]illusory, and sensuality,

0:33:16.997,0:33:21.433
sensual pleasures are just like that.[br]And if you think about it again,

0:33:21.433,0:33:26.359
it's fairly obvious why this is the case,[br]these similes are very easy, I think,

0:33:26.359,0:33:30.682
to understand. Why is it?[br]How come it as a dream?

0:33:30.682,0:33:35.065
And the reason it is a dream is because[br]the way we think about things,

0:33:35.065,0:33:37.900
the way we think about possessions, [br]the way we think about,

0:33:37.900,0:33:40.370
when I get this new house,[br]when I get this car,

0:33:40.370,0:33:42.769
when I get this relationship[br]or whatever,

0:33:42.769,0:33:46.872
the idea in our mind is[br]very different from the reality, yeah?

0:33:46.872,0:33:50.651
We know that especially from[br]relationships, when you fall in love,

0:33:50.651,0:33:55.203
and you have this kind of idea of[br]the perfect partner in life,

0:33:55.203,0:33:58.373
and you can't even see[br]any negative aspect on them,

0:33:58.373,0:34:04.439
because you are so biased, you are so...[br]you only see one side of your partner.

0:34:04.439,0:34:06.833
But the reality of course[br]is much broader.

0:34:06.833,0:34:10.879
So the reality turns out to be[br]very very different from the fantasy.

0:34:10.879,0:34:14.003
That is also true in smaller things[br]in life. You get a new car,

0:34:14.003,0:34:18.164
you have all these dreams about this car,[br]for some people, not for everyone,

0:34:18.164,0:34:21.719
but some people have these kind of[br]fantasies, but the reality,

0:34:21.719,0:34:25.229
after driving for a few weeks, [br]it gets pretty ordinary again,

0:34:25.229,0:34:27.809
and the fantasy recurs[br]and builds up again.

0:34:27.809,0:34:31.659
I remember myself when I was young,[br]so a while ago now,

0:34:31.659,0:34:36.750
but I had been young as well, (laughter)[br]so, when I was at university,

0:34:36.750,0:34:40.653
for example, which is about 30 years[br]ago now or more,

0:34:40.653,0:34:44.334
I remember thinking about[br]my own future, and I thought,

0:34:44.334,0:34:47.687
gee, I'm gonna have a really good job,[br]I'm gonna make lots of money,

0:34:47.687,0:34:52.864
I'm gonna do all these kind of cool things,[br]I'm gonna have a wife like this and this,

0:34:52.864,0:34:56.721
that kind of wife, and I'm gonna do, [br]live well, I'm gonna have,

0:34:56.721,0:35:00.529
everything's going to be nice, and have the right[br]kinds of friends, and that kind of stuff,

0:35:00.529,0:35:03.790
actually, it wasn't exactly like that, [br]I'm just making something up,

0:35:03.790,0:35:06.912
but it was a little bit like that, [br]the dream about the future,

0:35:06.912,0:35:10.682
especially the dream about, you know [br]girlfriend and wife, that sort of stuff,

0:35:10.682,0:35:15.314
and having a nice house, and you can see[br]what a waste of time that was, yeah?

0:35:15.314,0:35:19.206
When you look at this, it was a complete[br]absolute mistake!

0:35:19.206,0:35:23.091
Talking about the dream being wrong,[br]this is kind of maxing on wrongness.

0:35:23.091,0:35:26.887
Absolutely wrong. But the reality is[br]that for every one of us,

0:35:26.887,0:35:28.547
it is a little bit like that,

0:35:28.547,0:35:32.219
you dream about something, you have[br]this idea what something is gonna be like,

0:35:32.219,0:35:35.219
and the reality is always different, yeah?

0:35:35.219,0:35:39.004
Life is like a dream, moving towards[br]something that never actually arises,

0:35:39.004,0:35:41.198
and then when you get those things,

0:35:41.198,0:35:43.548
and realise that[br]the dream isn't gonna work out,

0:35:43.548,0:35:46.897
you think about new things,[br]you change your dream a little bit,

0:35:46.897,0:35:49.353
but it's still a dream,[br]it will never actually get there.

0:35:49.353,0:35:53.002
We live in this life of [br]one thing to bring something about,

0:35:53.002,0:35:57.655
we live in a dream life that never[br]actually comes out to be quite like that.

0:35:57.655,0:36:00.491
So much of life is like that,[br]and this is one of the reasons

0:36:00.491,0:36:04.034
why the mindfulness is so difficult,[br]because if you live a dream,

0:36:04.034,0:36:08.471
if you live craving, if you live desire,[br]the mind is always onto something else,

0:36:08.471,0:36:11.571
never really happy[br]to be in present moment.

0:36:11.571,0:36:13.359
So as you let go of those things,

0:36:13.359,0:36:16.799
the mind settles into[br]the present moment much more.

0:36:16.799,0:36:20.008
That is the simile of the dream.

0:36:20.008,0:36:23.657
Another of my really favourite similes[br]from the suttas,

0:36:23.657,0:36:28.199
is the simile of the borrowed goods. [br]This is the Buddha, when he talks about,

0:36:28.199,0:36:33.001
he says that, "imagine a rich person",[br]in those days, rich persons were

0:36:33.001,0:36:36.736
pretty humble compared to what are[br]these days, the rich person, he drives,

0:36:36.736,0:36:41.291
oh sorry, not a rich person, what am I talking[br]about, an ordinary person who borrows

0:36:41.291,0:36:44.479
goods of rich people.[br]So he gets a nice carriage,

0:36:44.479,0:36:48.019
and he has some nice jewellery,[br]like nice earrings or whatever,

0:36:48.019,0:36:50.484
and that was considered[br]a rich person in those days,

0:36:50.484,0:36:52.834
a nice carriage and some earrings,

0:36:52.834,0:36:58.230
and then he drives around in his carriage,[br]wearing his nice earrings,

0:36:58.230,0:37:04.638
and he drives around in town,[br]very humble, anyway, he drives around town,

0:37:04.638,0:37:07.570
and people look at him, [br]"wow, check out this rich guy,

0:37:07.570,0:37:11.798
"he is really wealthy, this is how[br]the wealthy enjoy their wealth!"

0:37:11.798,0:37:15.468
This is what they say about this man,[br]and of course when people point to you,

0:37:15.468,0:37:19.085
and say, "you are wealthy," you start[br]inflating your ego straight away, yeah?

0:37:19.085,0:37:22.857
"Yeah, I am important, that's right,[br]I'm rich, you guys you are less than me,

0:37:22.857,0:37:25.288
"I am more because I'm more wealthy[br]than you are."

0:37:25.288,0:37:28.816
And this is what happens if you are[br]wealthy, you start to feel more important,

0:37:28.816,0:37:32.122
yeah? It's just part and parcel,[br]it's nothing, it's unfortunate,

0:37:32.122,0:37:34.224
but it's just the reality of human beings,

0:37:34.224,0:37:37.119
we are like that, yeah?[br]That's just the reality of things.

0:37:37.119,0:37:41.422
And of course, then, because these things[br]are borrowed, the owner comes back,

0:37:41.422,0:37:46.392
and takes back the carriage, takes back[br]those earrings, and then how does he feel?

0:37:46.392,0:37:51.237
He feels naked, he feels like that[br]the attachment he has built up to

0:37:51.237,0:37:54.828
those things, these things,[br]his sense of identity,

0:37:54.828,0:37:58.775
which now is vested in those goods,[br]suddenly is taken away.

0:37:58.775,0:38:01.776
You feel naked,[br]you feel something is gone,

0:38:01.776,0:38:06.067
"What, I'm not wealthy after all!"[br]It's like you are shocked, you forgot

0:38:06.067,0:38:10.757
that those goods actually were borrowed,[br]that is the problem.

0:38:10.757,0:38:15.245
And the reality of our life is that [br]our life is full of borrowed goods.

0:38:15.245,0:38:18.890
Yeah? What is borrowed in life?[br]If you think about it

0:38:18.890,0:38:22.690
pretty much everything we have[br]in this life is actually borrowed, yeah?

0:38:22.690,0:38:26.374
Everything you own in your life,[br]your relationships,

0:38:26.374,0:38:29.907
your friendships in this world,[br]you physical body

0:38:29.907,0:38:32.856
ultimately is borrowed as well.[br]Why is it borrowed?

0:38:32.856,0:38:38.390
Because very often nature comes,[br]impermanence comes, unreliability comes,

0:38:38.390,0:38:43.376
and snatches it back, and there's nothing[br]you can do to control it or to hold onto it.

0:38:43.376,0:38:47.875
At the very latest, when you die,[br]it's going to be taken away from you.

0:38:47.875,0:38:52.638
Everything in our life, pretty much,[br]especially everything in the sensual world

0:38:52.638,0:38:58.029
are borrowed goods - you can't hold onto[br]them, it's gonna have to go.

0:38:58.029,0:39:01.702
What does this mean? [br]And this is actually very, I don't know,

0:39:01.702,0:39:04.825
it's very powerful, you know,[br]if you think about in this life,

0:39:04.825,0:39:07.326
if you borrow something,[br]if you rent something,

0:39:07.326,0:39:09.893
like you rent an apartment[br]for a few months,

0:39:09.893,0:39:12.558
how much investment are[br]you gonna put into

0:39:12.558,0:39:15.188
an apartment you're renting[br]from someone else?

0:39:15.188,0:39:18.458
Not that much, because you won't be[br]able to enjoy that investment,

0:39:18.458,0:39:20.877
the owner would enjoy it,[br]rather than you.

0:39:20.877,0:39:23.467
So if everything in your life[br]is borrowed goods,

0:39:23.467,0:39:27.323
it means you start investing less[br]in those borrowed goods in your life,

0:39:27.323,0:39:31.439
and you start investing, instead, in those[br]things that actually go beyond that,

0:39:31.439,0:39:36.606
that are more profound, that have a deeper[br]sense of meaning and fulfilment.

0:39:36.606,0:39:41.403
What is that? And the difference of course[br]is that, the difference here is

0:39:41.403,0:39:45.153
between focusing solely[br]on this little existence,

0:39:45.153,0:39:48.073
this little slice of existence[br]that we have here and now,

0:39:48.073,0:39:52.187
and to compare that to the existence that[br]you have, from a Buddhist point of view,

0:39:52.187,0:39:57.202
the vast existence takes into account[br]past lives and future lives,

0:39:57.202,0:40:01.858
it's a panorama, far far wider,[br]than the little reality we are aware of

0:40:01.858,0:40:05.680
right now in this life.[br]And this is why the idea of rebirth,

0:40:05.680,0:40:10.330
the idea of re-existence, of re-death,[br]of re-everything is so important,

0:40:10.330,0:40:13.525
because it changes your calculation of[br]what is important,

0:40:13.525,0:40:16.890
how we should live,[br]what is important in our lives?

0:40:16.890,0:40:21.112
What is the thing that is not borrowed[br]goods in this sense?

0:40:21.112,0:40:24.296
The thing that is not the borrowed goods[br]is your mind. Why?

0:40:24.296,0:40:27.634
Because your mind is what goes beyond this[br]ordinary life

0:40:27.634,0:40:29.868
and you take with you into your future.

0:40:29.868,0:40:33.726
If you build up a beautiful mind[br]in this life, if you build up

0:40:33.726,0:40:37.372
a light mind full of good merit and[br]happiness and good qualities,

0:40:37.372,0:40:42.027
that is what you take with you into the[br]future. And don't be fooled,

0:40:42.027,0:40:45.562
it can be done, you can change,[br]you can become more bright,

0:40:45.562,0:40:48.494
you can become more happy.[br]It's a gradual process,

0:40:48.494,0:40:53.021
it takes perseverance and commitment,[br]but it can be done. How do we do it?

0:40:53.021,0:41:02.499
And the way we do it is[br]not by focusing so much

0:41:02.499,0:41:05.776
on the results and the goals of this life,

0:41:05.776,0:41:09.158
but focusing more on the process,[br]focusing more

0:41:09.158,0:41:14.040
on how we get to these things,[br]rather than actually the goals themselves.

0:41:14.040,0:41:16.367
And I think this is one of those, again,

0:41:16.367,0:41:19.467
critical things and[br]critical differences in life.

0:41:19.467,0:41:23.456
The vast majority of people, because[br]we are interested in the sensual realm,

0:41:23.456,0:41:28.043
the sensual things, we always want[br]to enhance the sensual pleasures in life,

0:41:28.043,0:41:32.841
we focus on those goals, how to get there, [br]and very often the problem is that

0:41:32.841,0:41:37.473
the goal justifies the means, the end[br]justifies the means, yeah?

0:41:37.473,0:41:41.096
It's one of those ancient sayings which[br]is complete nonsense of course

0:41:41.096,0:41:44.638
from the Buddhist point of view,[br]because we want to get to those goals,

0:41:44.638,0:41:48.505
and whatever means we use[br]to get there is irrelevant.

0:41:48.505,0:41:50.514
Of course the problem with that is

0:41:50.514,0:41:53.474
that you may be building up[br]a lot in this life,

0:41:53.474,0:41:58.024
you make this life very beautiful and[br]you have all kinds of things in this life,

0:41:58.024,0:42:02.668
but as part and parcel of that[br]you take all sorts of short-cuts,

0:42:02.668,0:42:06.500
you do bad things to other people. [br]When you come to the end of your life,

0:42:06.500,0:42:09.289
imagine how you feel.[br]You come to the end of your life,

0:42:09.289,0:42:11.379
you have built up all of these things,

0:42:11.379,0:42:15.447
and all of these things you have built up,[br]they belong to this world,

0:42:15.447,0:42:19.965
they are borrowed goods, now you're[br]gonna have to let go of all of that,

0:42:19.965,0:42:24.679
and in the meantime, you have done[br]many bad things to drag your mind down,

0:42:24.679,0:42:27.409
make the mind a bit darker,[br]a bit more unpleasant,

0:42:27.409,0:42:32.420
a bit heavier place to be. That is all[br]that you have left when you die.

0:42:32.420,0:42:33.717
How do you feel?

0:42:33.717,0:42:37.128
You feel like you have wasted an[br]opportunity. You feel there's nothing left,

0:42:37.128,0:42:39.946
you feel kind of this sense of[br]emptiness and confusion,

0:42:39.946,0:42:45.406
"I have wasted the opportunity,[br]I have lived a life focusing solely on

0:42:45.406,0:42:49.356
"things that belong to this world,[br]and there's nothing I can take with me

0:42:49.356,0:42:52.091
"except for the badness[br]I have done in the meantime,

0:42:52.091,0:42:55.509
"and that has let me down, and the future[br]now, is looking very dismal."

0:42:55.509,0:42:58.816
This is the problem[br]by focusing on these things.

0:42:58.816,0:43:02.722
So instead of focusing on the goal,[br]instead of focusing on the end,

0:43:02.722,0:43:07.793
a Buddhist way of thinking is to focus[br]on the process, to focus on the how,

0:43:07.793,0:43:10.958
how we reach those goals,[br]how we get there,

0:43:10.958,0:43:15.638
and then if the goals don't happen,[br]if we don't achieve those things

0:43:15.638,0:43:18.729
that we would like to achieve in life,[br]it doesn't matter so much,

0:43:18.729,0:43:22.711
because by focusing on the process,[br]we have lifted ourselves up,

0:43:22.711,0:43:25.435
made ourselves a brighter mind,

0:43:25.435,0:43:27.805
and we feel when we come to[br]the end of our life,

0:43:27.805,0:43:31.827
"OK, I may not have achieved very much[br]in this life, but who cares?

0:43:31.827,0:43:36.030
"It's all going to have to go anyway,[br]the only thing I have achieved is building up

0:43:36.030,0:43:40.460
"a brighter and happier mind for myself."[br]And lo and behold, at this point,

0:43:40.460,0:43:43.897
that is the only thing that matters, [br]everything else is irrelevant.

0:43:43.897,0:43:47.754
So it changes your calculation,[br]the simile of the borrowed goods,

0:43:47.754,0:43:51.440
it makes you look at life[br]an entirely different way,

0:43:51.440,0:43:54.470
and this is such a powerful[br]and wonderful thing.

0:43:54.470,0:43:57.908
All those people, you know,[br]who we see have taken short-cuts,

0:43:57.908,0:44:02.313
perhaps, some of the things[br]that have been uncovered by

0:44:02.313,0:44:06.126
the Royal Banking Commission and all this[br]kind of stuff, why have they done that?

0:44:06.126,0:44:08.808
They focused on the goal,[br]not focusing on the process,

0:44:08.808,0:44:11.998
and by doing so,[br]they trick themselves,

0:44:11.998,0:44:16.059
they've made a mistake[br]and created badness within themselves,

0:44:16.059,0:44:19.332
while at the same time,[br]going for worldly things

0:44:19.332,0:44:23.988
that are inherently[br]impermanent and problematic.

0:44:23.988,0:44:27.656
So there you are,[br]the simile of the borrowed goods.

0:44:27.656,0:44:35.424
The next simile, this is the simile of[br]the jungle or the forest,

0:44:35.424,0:44:39.110
and the Buddha says, imagine[br]two people living in a village

0:44:39.110,0:44:42.789
or living in a town,[br]and they go down into the forest.

0:44:42.789,0:44:45.379
When they go down into the forest,

0:44:45.379,0:44:49.503
the first of these people, he walks into[br]the forest, and he looks around,

0:44:49.503,0:44:54.383
the forest is very dark,[br]the forest is very thick and dense,

0:44:54.383,0:44:57.293
and he can't see very far[br]in any direction at all,

0:44:57.293,0:44:59.288
but he's wandering around in this forest,

0:44:59.288,0:45:04.545
looking for things that make will him happy,[br]and then he comes to a mango tree,

0:45:04.545,0:45:09.193
"wow!", the mango tree, ripe mangoes[br]on the tree, he climb up the mango tree,

0:45:09.193,0:45:13.357
and he goes up in the mango tree[br]and sits there and eats mangoes,

0:45:13.357,0:45:16.647
and while he eats mangoes,[br]because the mangoes are so delicious,

0:45:16.647,0:45:19.189
is there anyone here who[br]doesn't like mangoes?

0:45:19.189,0:45:22.975
Everybody likes nice ripe mangoes,[br]when they're nice... maybe not everyone,

0:45:22.975,0:45:25.664
maybe there is always someone[br]who is kind of different,

0:45:25.664,0:45:28.630
but most people like ripe mangoes.

0:45:28.630,0:45:33.656
He goes up into the tree, indulging in[br]ripe mangoes, and because he's indulging,

0:45:33.656,0:45:37.338
he loses his mindfulness, no idea what's[br]going on, "oh mango is so nice!"

0:45:37.338,0:45:43.103
and sits there, and just kind of[br]intoxicated by mangos, mango intoxication.

0:45:43.103,0:45:46.783
Then, comes another man.[br]You think alcohol is bad,

0:45:46.783,0:45:49.735
maybe mango is even worse,[br]in some ways.

0:45:49.735,0:45:52.580
So then another man comes along,[br]and he does not know

0:45:52.580,0:45:54.270
how to climb a tree, so he thinks

0:45:54.270,0:45:57.886
"ah, all those nice mangos, how am I gonna[br]get hold of them, hmm, OK,"

0:45:57.886,0:46:02.997
takes out his axe, and starts[br]chopping down the tree at the root.

0:46:02.997,0:46:07.393
And the Buddha says, "well, if that man[br]who's already up in that mango tree,

0:46:07.393,0:46:10.883
"if he doesn't come down quickly,[br]what's gonna happen?"

0:46:10.883,0:46:14.122
Well, he's gonna fall down,[br]he's gonna break a leg and an arm,

0:46:14.122,0:46:18.557
or he might even die if it's high enough,[br]that's what's gonna happen, yeah?

0:46:18.557,0:46:21.722
So this is the problem,[br]and what is the point of this?

0:46:21.722,0:46:27.166
The point of this is that these two men,[br]these two people who walk into the jungle,

0:46:27.166,0:46:30.999
walk into the forest,[br]the jungle here, as I read it,

0:46:30.999,0:46:34.325
is a simile for the sensual world, yeah?

0:46:34.325,0:46:38.552
We are in the sensual world, maybe we are[br]in the city, when you are in the city,

0:46:38.552,0:46:42.255
there are all kinds of sensual pleasures[br]available for you, there's cafes,

0:46:42.255,0:46:46.492
there's entertainment going on, that's[br]where you, kind of you find your partner

0:46:46.492,0:46:49.866
for life and all these kind of things.[br]Cities are a place of sensuality.

0:46:49.866,0:46:53.754
Walking around in the city,[br]looking at all of these nice potential

0:46:53.754,0:46:56.742
sensual pleasures,[br]walking around in the jungle.

0:46:56.742,0:47:01.395
But of course, just like the city,[br]the jungle is a place where you can't

0:47:01.395,0:47:06.216
see very far, yeah? When you are in[br]the realm of sensual pleasures,

0:47:06.216,0:47:10.497
your mind is limited, your mind is not[br]vast and expansive,

0:47:10.497,0:47:14.473
as it can be in meditation practice,[br]it's limited and contracted.

0:47:14.473,0:47:19.541
You can't see very far away, you have no[br]overview, you have no bird's eye view,

0:47:19.541,0:47:23.481
you have no perspective on what is going on,[br]that is the problem in the jungle,

0:47:23.481,0:47:26.503
all you're doing is looking for the next[br]sensual pleasure, yeah?

0:47:26.503,0:47:29.261
Life is a bit like that,[br]looking for the next pleasure,

0:47:29.261,0:47:32.283
looking for the next happiness,[br]looking for what we can do next.

0:47:32.283,0:47:36.121
When are we gonna go on holiday?[br]Which restaurant are we going to tonight?

0:47:36.121,0:47:39.907
What are we gonna do? Always thinking[br]of some more pleasure down the road,

0:47:39.907,0:47:45.362
and as you indulge in those pleasures,[br]as you indulge in this happiness of

0:47:45.362,0:47:49.940
the senses, then because you are indulging[br]because you are intoxicated,

0:47:49.940,0:47:52.200
you're losing your mindfulness,

0:47:52.200,0:47:55.556
and before you know it,[br]it is your turn to die, yeah?

0:47:55.556,0:48:00.344
Before you know it you are, I don't know,[br]75, 80, 85, I don't know when people

0:48:00.344,0:48:03.458
die these days, at various ages,[br]and that's it, you had it,

0:48:03.458,0:48:07.894
you're finished, and because you were[br]intoxicated on the way,

0:48:07.894,0:48:10.444
because you were indulging[br]too much on the way,

0:48:10.444,0:48:13.843
you lost your mindfulness,[br]you lost your ability to think clearly

0:48:13.843,0:48:18.738
about what is really important in life,[br]and then death surprises you,

0:48:18.738,0:48:23.038
when it finally happens, and of course,[br]you're not ready to die when that happens..

0:48:23.038,0:48:26.525
You got intoxicated,[br]because you were intoxicated

0:48:26.525,0:48:30.007
you forgot that living well is important,[br]you forgot that kindness

0:48:30.007,0:48:33.966
and compassion, and peace in life,[br]actually is so significant

0:48:33.966,0:48:36.496
to make us really happy[br]in a deeper sense,

0:48:36.496,0:48:40.410
and for practicing the spiritual path.[br]You forgot all of that,

0:48:40.410,0:48:44.124
and then when you die, you die[br]in a bad way, wondering what you did.

0:48:44.124,0:48:47.841
So what is the alternative?[br]The alternative is this:

0:48:47.841,0:48:51.472
and this is another nice little simile[br]from the suttas,

0:48:51.472,0:48:56.209
the simile of two friends walking through[br]the jungle, walking through this dense

0:48:56.209,0:49:01.700
jungle of sensuality, not really seeing[br]very far ahead in any direction at all,

0:49:01.700,0:49:05.071
and they come to a hill, a tall hill,[br]almost like a mountain,

0:49:05.071,0:49:08.742
and then one friend says to the other one,[br]"lets go to the top of the hill,

0:49:08.742,0:49:11.500
"to the top of the mountain."[br]The other man says, "no, no,

0:49:11.500,0:49:14.338
"I'm not interested, I will stay down[br]here at the bottom."

0:49:14.338,0:49:17.435
So his friend says,[br]"OK, I will go up by myself."

0:49:17.435,0:49:19.997
So he goes up to the top of the mountain,

0:49:19.997,0:49:22.967
and when he gets up to the top of[br]the mountain, he says,

0:49:22.967,0:49:26.417
"wow, you should see,[br]when you stand on the top of mountain,

0:49:26.417,0:49:31.107
"you can see fields, you can see villages,[br]you can see roads,

0:49:31.107,0:49:34.762
"you can see all of these things,[br]lakes and gardens and groves,

0:49:34.762,0:49:37.942
"all this kind of stuff!"[br]So he shouts down to his friend,

0:49:37.942,0:49:41.431
"Yea! I can see all this stuff from[br]the top here." And his friend says,

0:49:41.431,0:49:45.100
"no way, absolutely no chance you can see[br]that from the top of the mountain,"

0:49:45.100,0:49:47.863
and the friend on the top[br]gets a bit exasperated

0:49:47.863,0:49:51.117
because he can see all these things.[br]So he goes down to

0:49:51.117,0:49:54.334
the bottom of the mountain,[br]grabs his friend by his arm,

0:49:54.334,0:49:57.911
not using too much violence because[br]he's a good Buddhist, but a little bit,

0:49:57.911,0:50:01.077
"OK, come along."[br]He drags him up to the top of the mountain

0:50:01.077,0:50:04.591
he gets super-strength when it's something[br]important to show other people,

0:50:04.591,0:50:07.623
drags him all the way up, and says,[br]"Look! Ok, what do you see?"

0:50:07.623,0:50:13.154
"Oh, yeah, I see fields, gardens, groves,[br]villages, roads, all these things."

0:50:13.154,0:50:17.130
"Well, why did you say at the bottom of[br]the mountain that you didn't see that?"

0:50:17.130,0:50:22.210
And the friend replies, "because when I[br]was at the bottom, I was obstructed by

0:50:22.210,0:50:25.175
"this very mountain,[br]from being able to see those things."

0:50:25.175,0:50:30.809
And the point here is that when you are[br]in the midst of the sensuality,

0:50:30.809,0:50:34.005
when you are in midst of the sensual[br]objects of the world,

0:50:34.005,0:50:36.772
you have no perspective,[br]you have no overview,

0:50:36.772,0:50:40.608
you are like a fish in water, [br]all you know is water, you have no idea

0:50:40.608,0:50:43.961
about anything else, it's impossible for[br]you to understand sensuality.

0:50:43.961,0:50:48.836
When you practice the spiritual path, [br]you elevate yourself, gradually lifting

0:50:48.836,0:50:53.341
yourself out of sensuality, until one day[br]you reach the state of samādhi,

0:50:53.341,0:50:57.158
and when you reach the state of[br]samādhi for the first time

0:50:57.158,0:51:01.192
have you extracted yourself from the world[br]of sensuality for the very first time,

0:51:01.192,0:51:03.341
do you have the eagle's,[br]the bird's eye view,

0:51:03.341,0:51:05.931
and you can actually see[br]what is going on.

0:51:05.931,0:51:10.124
Then you understand sensuality,[br]then you know the problem of these things.

0:51:10.124,0:51:14.929
This is the opposite of being in[br]the jungle, being in the forest.

0:51:14.929,0:51:17.923
Then you know the problem,[br]then you know what is going on.

0:51:17.923,0:51:22.937
Most of the time we are just intoxicated,[br]following along, and for this reason,

0:51:22.937,0:51:27.672
sometimes we need to have a little bit of[br]faith and confidence in the teachings of

0:51:27.672,0:51:32.443
the Buddha, in the promise of[br]what meditation actually can do for us.

0:51:32.443,0:51:36.541
So what is the promise?[br]Well this is the very last simile,

0:51:36.541,0:51:39.870
actually, a couple of more similes,[br]we'll have to see what happens,

0:51:39.870,0:51:42.633
I've only got a few more minutes,[br]otherwise I'm gonna be overtime,

0:51:42.633,0:51:46.745
the very last simile[br]that I want to talk about tonight,

0:51:46.745,0:51:49.182
and this is the simile of the dog,

0:51:49.182,0:51:54.151
the simile of the dog is[br]the dog which is hungry.

0:51:54.151,0:51:56.801
If you've seen some of[br]these dogs in India,

0:51:56.801,0:51:59.189
they're always hungry, [br]always looking for food,

0:51:59.189,0:52:01.581
they're not like the[br]pampered dogs in the West.

0:52:01.581,0:52:04.821
With dogs we look after them,[br]they're really kind of happy,

0:52:04.821,0:52:08.699
but in India, they are kind of[br]really scrawny, and kind of terrible,

0:52:08.699,0:52:12.662
and terrified of human beings,[br]for kicking them and all this kind of stuff.

0:52:12.662,0:52:18.641
So these dogs in India they are running[br]around, yeah, from one butcher shop

0:52:18.641,0:52:22.106
to the next one, and whenever[br]they come to a butcher shop,

0:52:22.106,0:52:25.836
the butcher is not gonna them give any meat.[br]You don't give valuable meat

0:52:25.836,0:52:29.676
to a kind of strange scrawny dodgy dog[br]coming around every now and again.

0:52:29.676,0:52:32.745
But the butcher,[br]because he has a little bit of compassion,

0:52:32.745,0:52:35.649
when all the meat has been taken[br]off the bone,

0:52:35.649,0:52:39.717
he chucks the bone out to the dog,[br]and of course this bone,

0:52:39.717,0:52:43.191
which has no meat on it,[br]all it has is a little bit of blood,

0:52:43.191,0:52:48.854
the dog kind of ignores this bone,[br]all he gets is a taste of blood,

0:52:48.854,0:52:54.556
all it does is increasing its craving for[br]some real meat, for real sustenance, yeah?

0:52:54.556,0:52:58.908
More craving. So as soon as the dog[br]has finished licking off the blood

0:52:58.908,0:53:02.926
of that bone, it runs off to the next[br]butcher shop, still craving,

0:53:02.926,0:53:07.440
still desiring, try to get something else.[br]It goes to the next butcher shop,

0:53:07.440,0:53:11.193
the same thing happens again,[br]no meat, no sustenance,

0:53:11.193,0:53:15.883
nothing that fulfills you inside,[br]again the same kind of craving,

0:53:15.883,0:53:20.602
by licking the blood and not really getting[br]anything else. And on and on it goes,

0:53:20.602,0:53:24.679
from butcher shop to butcher shop,[br]from household to household,

0:53:24.679,0:53:29.700
life after life, eon after eon.[br]This is the simile of human beings,

0:53:29.700,0:53:33.315
the simile of always running after[br]sensual pleasures,

0:53:33.315,0:53:35.834
never giving any real satisfaction,

0:53:35.834,0:53:39.194
never giving any sense of[br]fulfillment and completion,

0:53:39.194,0:53:42.468
never being a real goal,[br]a real purpose in life,

0:53:42.468,0:53:44.560
never actually getting you anywhere.

0:53:44.560,0:53:48.620
You always just keep on doing[br]the same thing again and again and again.

0:53:48.620,0:53:52.388
This is the real problem of[br]craving for sensual pleasures,

0:53:52.388,0:53:56.556
there is no finality to it, there is no[br]goal, there is nowhere we are going,

0:53:56.556,0:53:59.439
we're just doing the same thing again[br]and again and again.

0:53:59.439,0:54:03.574
This is the simile of the dog.[br]So what is the alternative?

0:54:03.574,0:54:05.959
This is where the Buddhist path comes in.

0:54:05.959,0:54:08.942
The Buddha says,[br]"there is an alternative happiness."

0:54:08.942,0:54:12.532
The happiness that leads to[br]real fulfilment, real completion,

0:54:12.532,0:54:15.827
that actually is a real end[br]in its own right.

0:54:15.827,0:54:19.691
What is that happiness?[br]It starts off by practicing kindness and

0:54:19.691,0:54:23.543
generosity and compassion in this world,[br]and as you do that,

0:54:23.543,0:54:28.113
I would really recommend that each one[br]of you to think about this very carefully,

0:54:28.113,0:54:32.316
when you do an act of kindness,[br]when you do an act of generosity,

0:54:32.316,0:54:36.854
how do you feel about yourself?[br]And I'm sure you will have noticed

0:54:36.854,0:54:40.450
that when you do an act of kindness,[br]when it really comes from your heart,

0:54:40.450,0:54:43.850
you feel good about yourself.[br]How does that feel?

0:54:43.850,0:54:47.854
And you will also notice[br]it's a very different kind of feeling

0:54:47.854,0:54:51.158
from the feeling of satisfaction[br]that you get from craving.

0:54:51.158,0:54:55.383
When you crave, that satisfaction you get[br]is kind of hollow and empty,

0:54:55.383,0:54:59.463
and you crave while you are doing it,[br]and the craving soon re-arises again,

0:54:59.463,0:55:02.929
it's very hollow kind of[br]satisfaction you get there.

0:55:02.929,0:55:07.445
But the happiness that you get through[br]living well, through doing the right thing

0:55:07.445,0:55:11.935
is a satisfaction, a happiness,[br]that has no craving coming with it.

0:55:11.935,0:55:17.290
There is no craving there, it is a[br]happiness that is in the present moment,

0:55:17.290,0:55:21.803
and because of that, it is a peaceful[br]and beautiful kind of happiness.

0:55:21.803,0:55:25.658
This is already just by living well,[br]just by living with kindness,

0:55:25.658,0:55:30.498
by living with care, living with honesty[br]and doing the right things in the world.

0:55:30.498,0:55:34.499
And as you keep on doing this,[br]you get into meditation, you come here to

0:55:34.499,0:55:38.399
the Dhammaloka Centre on Fridays, [br]maybe you come to the Saturday meditation,

0:55:38.399,0:55:42.083
maybe you start coming to Jhana Grove,[br]doing some retreats or whatever,

0:55:42.083,0:55:46.711
as you do that, you are deepening your[br]meditation gradually gradually over time,

0:55:46.711,0:55:51.778
and as your meditation gets deeper,[br]that happiness that you started getting

0:55:51.778,0:55:56.240
just by living in a kind way gets[br]more and more internalised,

0:55:56.240,0:55:59.385
more and more you find this[br]through your meditation practice,

0:55:59.385,0:56:03.235
just by sitting inside of yourself,[br]being inside of yourself,

0:56:03.235,0:56:08.038
finding that true refuge within,[br]the happiness, the joy, becomes

0:56:08.038,0:56:11.008
more and more powerful,[br]more and more in the present moment,

0:56:11.008,0:56:16.989
more and more unified, until one day[br]you reach a full state of samādhi,

0:56:16.989,0:56:22.108
a full state, a deep state of meditation[br]practice. And when you do that, one day,

0:56:22.108,0:56:26.903
you realise that you have found[br]a complete sense of satisfaction,

0:56:26.903,0:56:30.433
a complete sense of fulfillment.

0:56:30.433,0:56:33.510
There is no further goal,[br]there is nowhere else to go.

0:56:33.510,0:56:39.448
Before you were always driven by craving,[br]driven by desires. The craving always

0:56:39.448,0:56:43.643
promising you satisfaction, yeah?[br]If you think about it, whenever you think

0:56:43.643,0:56:47.442
about a relationship or think about any[br]sensual objects in the world,

0:56:47.442,0:56:51.338
there is always a promise of[br]satisfaction there, but it doesn't last.

0:56:51.338,0:56:55.488
And even when you have it, it's not all[br]that interesting. Craving is still there.

0:56:55.488,0:56:59.654
But here for the first time in your life,[br]you find absolute satisfaction.

0:56:59.654,0:57:02.996
Craving is completely gone.[br]There is no desire anymore.

0:57:02.996,0:57:06.828
There is no drive to go anywhere else.[br]So what is that?

0:57:06.828,0:57:10.977
Well what that is,[br]and this is why it is so profound,

0:57:10.977,0:57:13.173
what you have found, you have found

0:57:13.173,0:57:16.899
the answer to the very meaning, [br]the question of the meaning of life.

0:57:16.899,0:57:20.512
The moment there is no more drive[br]anymore, there is no more will,

0:57:20.512,0:57:24.625
there is no more craving, there is no more[br]to go. You have found something

0:57:24.625,0:57:27.262
where you find complete contentment[br]and satisfaction.

0:57:27.262,0:57:32.007
The whole inside has been filled up, [br]there is no more itch there,

0:57:32.007,0:57:34.676
all that is gone, complete satisfaction,

0:57:34.676,0:57:38.136
that is the answer to the question of[br]the meaning of life.

0:57:38.136,0:57:40.709
You have discovered[br]the very meaning of life itself.

0:57:40.709,0:57:43.362
This is what the Buddhist path promises,

0:57:43.362,0:57:47.342
this is why it is so extraordinary[br]exceptional and profound,

0:57:47.342,0:57:50.616
it really gives you the answer to[br]the meaning of life.

0:57:50.616,0:57:54.948
And I think if we can just[br]grasp that and get that,

0:57:54.948,0:57:59.328
from that comes that commitment[br]and perseverance to the Buddhist path,

0:57:59.328,0:58:02.105
because you understand there is[br]nothing else to look for,

0:58:02.105,0:58:05.666
this is it, this is what[br]life actually is all about.

0:58:05.666,0:58:09.206
Of course, you may get into[br]that state of samādhi,

0:58:09.206,0:58:11.471
and then you may lose it again afterwards.

0:58:11.471,0:58:15.562
That is where the idea of insight comes.[br]The final analysis,

0:58:15.562,0:58:19.792
it is the insight, the understanding,[br]that kind of breaks this whole process,

0:58:19.792,0:58:22.432
and makes craving[br]stop once and for all.

0:58:22.432,0:58:25.496
And that is where you find [br]the final meaning of life through

0:58:25.496,0:58:29.595
the Buddhist practice. And this is what[br]this all is leading us towards,

0:58:29.595,0:58:34.594
towards that very sense of finding the[br]meaning of life, but to do that,

0:58:34.594,0:58:38.992
in the process, you also gradually[br]abandon all the sensual objects,

0:58:38.992,0:58:42.112
all the sensual desires in this world[br]you gradually abandon,

0:58:42.112,0:58:44.389
until one day you actually reach this.

0:58:44.389,0:58:47.597
And then you understand[br]what really life is about,

0:58:47.597,0:58:49.687
you understand the purpose of all of this,

0:58:49.687,0:58:55.552
and you understand why it was necessary[br]on that path to abandon these things.

0:58:55.552,0:58:59.339
So please don't go back home and think

0:58:59.339,0:59:02.463
you're going to abandon[br]all sensuality in one go,

0:59:02.463,0:59:05.503
chuck out all the nice things[br]in your life, don't do that,

0:59:05.503,0:59:07.751
just reflect on these things,[br]reflect on them,

0:59:07.751,0:59:12.023
think about them, see if they make sense[br]to you, internalise them so that

0:59:12.023,0:59:15.525
they become your wisdom rather than[br]the Buddha's wisdom or someone else's

0:59:15.525,0:59:18.929
wisdom, and as you internalise[br]these things, gradually,

0:59:18.929,0:59:22.889
your life will start to go down[br]a different path, all by itself,

0:59:22.889,0:59:26.889
and you will start to feel more satisfied,[br]you'll start to find more meaning in life,

0:59:26.889,0:59:31.564
and everything becomes much more[br]profound as a consequence.

0:59:31.564,0:59:35.366
Okay, that is all for tonight.

0:59:35.366,0:59:46.800
(Audience) Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu.

0:59:46.800,0:59:50.066
OK, would anyone...[br]Thank you very much.

0:59:50.066,1:00:04.058
Would anyone like to ask any questions[br]or comment or anything like that?

1:00:04.058,1:00:07.719
(Questioner) Ajahn, suttas about[br]stream winners enjoying

1:00:07.719,1:00:17.275
sensual pleasures...I just, you know,[br]I wonder about, our chances.. (laughter)

1:00:17.275,1:00:22.473
(Ajhan) Well, it's a long path, and even[br]though you have full insight into reality,

1:00:22.473,1:00:26.202
if you are a stream-enterer,[br]especially if you are layperson,

1:00:26.202,1:00:29.862
the reality is that you don't often have[br]time to do any meditation practice,

1:00:29.862,1:00:33.343
and when you don't have time, you're[br]gonna seek for happiness somewhere else,

1:00:33.343,1:00:36.919
so you seek for that happiness again[br]in sensuality. So it's natural,

1:00:36.919,1:00:40.335
but the mind of a stream-enterer will[br]incline towards meditation,

1:00:40.335,1:00:45.543
you always want to go back to that, and your[br]indulgence would be very kind of basic,

1:00:45.543,1:00:49.094
would be at a very low level compared to[br]the indulgence of the vast majority of people.

1:00:49.094,1:00:52.653
So don't worry about the chances you have,[br]it's not really about the chances,

1:00:52.653,1:00:55.263
what it's about is whether you're[br]going in the right direction.

1:00:55.263,1:00:57.424
As long as you're[br]going to the right direction,

1:00:57.424,1:01:01.036
as long as you see a change in your life,[br]if you keep on going,

1:01:01.036,1:01:04.676
eventually you have to get there, as long[br]as the change kind of keeps on going,

1:01:04.676,1:01:12.091
eventually you're gonna have to reach[br]whatever goal that is that you aspire for.

1:01:12.091,1:01:15.143
Okay, anyone else?[br]Yeah, please don't be shy.

1:01:15.143,1:01:19.047
If you have never asked a question before,[br]this is the chance, yeah, first time,

1:01:19.047,1:01:25.394
is always good, is everybody happy,[br]yeah? Nobody wants to ask questions?

1:01:25.394,1:01:30.103
Okay, good, so I don't know if that[br]means you are entirely convinced,

1:01:30.103,1:01:34.166
or you are utterly sceptical,[br]but it doesn't really matter,

1:01:34.166,1:01:37.022
so lets just take a few questions[br]from overseas then,

1:01:37.022,1:01:41.260
there's three questions from overseas.[br]The first one is from Wolfram,

1:01:41.260,1:01:47.073
from Germany, and he asks,[br]"are you free to enjoy everything,

1:01:47.073,1:01:52.740
"as long as you are not attached to it?[br]Just letting go of desires be

1:01:52.740,1:01:58.356
"a natural and gradual loss of interest,[br]and not by denial or suppression of joy?"

1:01:58.356,1:02:06.541
I would say that you should enjoy life,[br]this is I think an important thing,

1:02:06.541,1:02:11.160
the idea that it is possible to live[br]life without enjoyment and just kind of,

1:02:11.160,1:02:17.262
you know, live, have no joy, kind of[br]enter all the happiness of the path,

1:02:17.262,1:02:21.664
I think that is impossible, so make sure that[br]you enjoy the ordinary happinesses of life,

1:02:21.664,1:02:26.647
and let it be a gradual movement,[br]a gradual reduction of the happiness

1:02:26.647,1:02:30.693
coming from sensuality, and a gradual[br]increase in the happiness coming from

1:02:30.693,1:02:33.573
practice in the path.[br]That is really the ideal way,

1:02:33.573,1:02:37.663
so you don't feel that you are deprived[br]of happiness and joy in your life.

1:02:37.663,1:02:41.412
At the same time, the idea that you are[br]going to enjoy it without being

1:02:41.412,1:02:44.211
attached to it, [br]that's really impossible, yeah?

1:02:44.211,1:02:46.934
You are going to attach to it,[br]you have no choice,

1:02:46.934,1:02:51.524
attachment is a natural expression[br]of the ego. If you have an ego,

1:02:51.524,1:02:54.349
unless if you are a stream-enterer,[br]arahant, again,

1:02:54.349,1:02:57.287
you are going to attach to things,[br]that's what the ego does,

1:02:57.287,1:03:00.906
that's one of the aspects of ego.[br]So don't worry about it so much

1:03:00.906,1:03:04.445
if you are attached, a little bit of[br]attachment is gonna be there,

1:03:04.445,1:03:08.283
move your attachment towards things[br]that are more worthy of attachment.

1:03:08.283,1:03:13.673
Attach a little bit to your precepts,[br]to your kindness, to compassion,

1:03:13.673,1:03:18.033
to all of these positive things, and if[br]you attach more to the positive things,

1:03:18.033,1:03:22.111
you can let go of attachment[br]a little bit to the bad things. Yeah?

1:03:22.111,1:03:26.301
I'm saying "bad" to things that are[br]not as lofty and so noble.

1:03:26.301,1:03:30.053
And gradually as you do that,[br]you are kind of moving,

1:03:30.053,1:03:35.626
kind of climbing up the ladder,[br]if you like, reaching for a higher rung,

1:03:35.626,1:03:38.763
attaching to a higher rung, letting go[br]of the lower rungs,

1:03:38.763,1:03:41.575
attaching to higher things.[br]And as you do that,

1:03:41.575,1:03:45.375
your attachment actually becomes[br]lighter as you move up the ladder.

1:03:45.375,1:03:48.630
Attachments to sensual pleasures[br]are very hard and sticky,

1:03:48.630,1:03:51.002
the higher up you go,[br]the lighter it becomes,

1:03:51.002,1:03:56.424
until eventually all attachment is gone.[br]So that's okay. So don't worry too much

1:03:56.424,1:04:00.684
if there is a bit of attachment there,[br]rather try to move to higher kinds

1:04:00.684,1:04:06.364
of attachment, and let go of the lower[br]ones, and don't force the path,

1:04:06.364,1:04:09.678
I think one of the things that is so[br]important on the Buddhist path is

1:04:09.678,1:04:14.076
to enjoy it, to make sure that it is[br]delightful and enjoyable,

1:04:14.076,1:04:18.596
and if you do that, you're gonna end up[br]on this Buddhist path for a long long time.

1:04:18.596,1:04:22.565
But if you make it miserable, if you make[br]it too hard, too difficult for yourself,

1:04:22.565,1:04:26.329
there's no way you are going to be able[br]to sustain it in the long run.

1:04:26.329,1:04:31.832
So please do that, and then you hopefully[br]will be around for a long time.

1:04:31.832,1:04:34.547
Anyway, nice to hear from you Wolfram.

1:04:34.547,1:04:41.333
Number 2, this is from Hadeel from Israel,[br]"how can we overcome the physical craving

1:04:41.333,1:04:45.249
"to someone we are[br]romantically in love with?"

1:04:45.249,1:04:49.946
Umm, probably cannot, yeah?[br]This is the problem, probably, probably

1:04:49.946,1:04:55.707
can't do that, so don't worry too much[br]about it, practice the path to the best of

1:04:55.707,1:04:59.507
your ability without trying to overcome[br]those things, it's... you know,

1:04:59.507,1:05:02.617
if you are in a romantic relationship, [br]well that's the reason why you

1:05:02.617,1:05:05.328
are there is partly because of that,[br]otherwise you wouldn't be

1:05:05.328,1:05:07.300
in that romantic relationship probably.

1:05:07.300,1:05:09.915
So that's kind of part of the deal[br]when you are there,

1:05:09.915,1:05:14.509
so just think about these similes,[br]practice the path and see what it leads you.

1:05:14.509,1:05:16.901
Who knows where it's gonna lead you[br]in the future,

1:05:16.901,1:05:20.783
but you cannot really overcome that craving[br]while you are in a romantic relationship.

1:05:20.783,1:05:24.458
So just practice, see what happens,[br]maybe down the track,

1:05:24.458,1:05:26.987
something will happen,[br]and maybe things will change,

1:05:26.987,1:05:33.513
but in the meantime, just, you know,[br]take that as the part of the deal

1:05:33.513,1:05:36.687
when you are into[br]that kind of relationship.

1:05:36.687,1:05:40.331
Number 3, is Evy from USA, [br]"can attachment to wholesome things

1:05:40.331,1:05:44.766
"such as a spiritual practice also have[br]the potential to become a form of

1:05:44.766,1:05:48.613
"sensual pleasure, if approached[br]in the wrong way?"

1:05:48.613,1:05:53.343
Um.. it can never be a sensual pleasure

1:05:53.343,1:05:56.913
because attachment to spiritual[br]practice is not sensual,

1:05:56.913,1:06:00.759
it's a different kind of attachment, and[br]as I just said, I think a little bit of

1:06:00.759,1:06:04.839
attachment to your spiritual practice[br]actually is very good thing,

1:06:04.839,1:06:07.586
because if you have no[br]attachments to your precepts,

1:06:07.586,1:06:10.355
what's gonna happen? [br]You're not gonna keep them, basically

1:06:10.355,1:06:13.909
that's what is that it is, because there's[br]always gonna be some desire that wants

1:06:13.909,1:06:17.435
to override the precepts, so if you have no[br]attachment, you shrug your shoulders,

1:06:17.435,1:06:21.247
"oh yeah, whatever," and do whatever you[br]want to do. So a little bit of attachment,

1:06:21.247,1:06:24.598
a little bit of commitment, maybe is [br]a better word of putting it,

1:06:24.598,1:06:28.332
a bit of commitment to these precepts[br]is actually quite important,

1:06:28.332,1:06:30.781
otherwise you'll never[br]really gonna get there.

1:06:30.781,1:06:34.498
So generally speaking, I would say[br]a little bit of attachment to the Buddhist

1:06:34.498,1:06:39.315
path is good, yeah? Okay, I mean, I am[br]proud of being a Buddhist myself,

1:06:39.315,1:06:42.814
and I certainly have some attachment to[br]that path, otherwise I wouldn't be

1:06:42.814,1:06:46.597
a monk anymore, I would be doing[br]all kinds of other stuff instead.

1:06:46.597,1:06:50.978
So a little bit of attachment is good,[br]but not too much attachment,

1:06:50.978,1:06:54.313
not wrong kind of attachment,[br]not attachment that leads you to arguing,

1:06:54.313,1:06:57.767
for example, a lot with a lot of other people.[br]"I believe in rebirth"

1:06:57.767,1:07:01.145
"What? You fool! Believing in rebirth.."[br]"No, rebirth is true!" ... yeah?

1:07:01.145,1:07:04.183
That kind of stuff. And when you get into[br]that sort of thing,

1:07:04.183,1:07:09.852
it becomes problematic. And also be[br]careful where your attachment is:

1:07:09.852,1:07:13.192
don't attach too much to individuals,

1:07:13.192,1:07:16.732
this is one, I think, of the[br]great dangers on the spiritual path,

1:07:16.732,1:07:20.074
you see that everywhere around the world[br]in spiritual matters,

1:07:20.074,1:07:23.844
people are attaching to gurus,[br]people are attaching to teachers,

1:07:23.844,1:07:27.284
and that can lead to lots of problems,[br]it can lead to abuse,

1:07:27.284,1:07:31.415
it can also lead to a lot of[br]distress if that person

1:07:31.415,1:07:33.606
decides to disrobe,[br]for example, yeah?

1:07:33.606,1:07:36.380
You're attached to someone,[br]you think, "yeah, they're an arahant"

1:07:36.380,1:07:38.234
I've seen this so many times.

1:07:38.234,1:07:41.230
It is so hard as a layperson to know[br]who's an arahant, yeah?

1:07:41.230,1:07:42.796
You project onto people,

1:07:42.796,1:07:45.566
you think, "yeah, this person they[br]are definitely an arahant."

1:07:45.566,1:07:49.349
And the next day they are married,[br]yeah? "Wait a minute, what happened??"

1:07:49.349,1:07:53.248
So be very careful with that,[br]it's very very difficult sometimes,

1:07:53.248,1:07:56.078
some people can be very charismatic,[br]they can be good speakers,

1:07:56.078,1:07:58.837
they can have all this kind of[br]magnetic personality or whatever,

1:07:58.837,1:08:00.429
and you are drawn to them,

1:08:00.429,1:08:02.964
and then just as you're[br]drawn to them - bang!

1:08:02.964,1:08:08.424
They're kind of doing all kind of[br]dodgy stuff, and that's always a bad thing.

1:08:08.424,1:08:11.713
So, attach in the right way,[br]attach with a sense of care,

1:08:11.713,1:08:16.094
always investigate, and as you do that,[br]there's nothing wrong with attachment,

1:08:16.094,1:08:19.828
in fact, attachment is part and parcel[br]of having a sense of self,

1:08:19.828,1:08:23.514
you can't really avoid it,[br]unless you are fully enlightened

1:08:23.514,1:08:30.560
or awakened yourself. [br]Okay, so those are my answers.

1:08:30.560,1:08:34.182
Anyone else want to say anything?[br]Everyone, happy or...

1:08:34.182,1:08:37.477
I'm not sure what you are,[br]but you are not asking questions anyway...

1:08:37.477,1:08:42.081
So let's pay respect to[br]the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha.

1:08:42.081,1:08:47.229
(Ajahn faces to the Buddha statue.)

1:08:47.229,1:08:52.113
Arahaṃ sammā... [br](rest of chanting inaudible)

1:08:52.113,1:09:30.767
(rest of chanting inaudible)