..續本文上一頁stood as something which harms us. The trap is something which binds us, the same as a snare. It”s a trap of Mara”s, a hunter”s snare, and the hunter is Mara.

　　If animals are caught in the hunter”s trap, it”s a sorrowful predicament. They are caught fast and held waiting for the owner of the trap. Have you ever snared birds

　　 The snare springs and "boop" -- caught by the neck! A good strong string now holds it fast. Wherever the bird flies, it cannot escape. It flies here and flies there, but it”s held tight waiting for the owner of the snare. When the hunter comes along, that”s it -- the bird is struck with fear, there”s no escape!

　　The trap of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects is the same. They catch us and bind us fast. If you attach to the senses, you”re the same as a fish caught on a hook. When the fisherman comes, struggle all you want, but you can”t get loose. Actually, you”re not caught like a fish, it”s more like a frog -- a frog gulps down the whole hook right to its guts, a fish just gets caught in its mouth.

　　Anyone attached to the senses is the same. Like a drunk whose liver is not yet destroyed -- he doesn”t know when he has had enough. He continues to indulge and drink carelessly. He”s caught and later suffers illness and pain.

　　A man comes walking along a road. He is very thirsty from his journey and is craving for a drink of water. The owner of the water says, "you can drink this water if you like; the colour is good, the smell is good, the taste is good, but if you drink it you will become ill. I must tell you this beforehand, it”ll make you sick enough to die or nearly die." The thirsty man does not listen. He”s as thirsty as a person after an operation who has been denied water for seven days -- he”s crying for water!

　　It”s the same with a person thirsting after the senses. The Buddha taught that they are poisonous -- sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects are poison; they are a dangerous trap. But this man is thirsty and doesn”t listen; because of his thirst he is in tears, crying, "Give me water, no matter how painful the consequences, let me drink!" So he dips out a bit and swallows it down finding it very tasty. He drinks his fill and gets so sick that he almost dies. He didn”t listen because of his overpowering desire.

　　This is how it is for a person caught in the pleasures of the senses. He drinks in sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch and mind-objects -- they are all very delicious! So he drinks without stopping and there he remains, stuck fast until the day he dies.

　　The Worldly Way and Liberation

　　Some people die, some people almost die -- that”s how it is to be stuck in the way of the world. Worldly wisdom seeks after the senses and their objects. However wise it is, it”s only wise in a worldly sense. No matter how appealing it is, it”s only appealing in a worldly sense. However much happiness it is, it”s only happiness in a worldly sense. It isn”t the happiness of liberation; it won”t free you from the world.

　　We have come to practice as monks in order to penetrate true wisdom, to rid ourselves of attachment. Practice to be free of attachment! Investigate the body, investigate everything around you until you become weary and fed up with it all and then dispassion will set in. Dispassion will not arise easily however, because you still don”t see clearly.

　　We come and ordain -- we study, we read, we practice, we meditate. We determine to make our minds resolute but it”s hard to do. We resolve to do a certain practice, we say that we”ll practice in this way -- only a day or two goes by, maybe just a few hours pass and we forget all about it. Then we remember and try to make our minds firm again, thinking, "This time I”ll do it right!" Shortly after that we ar…

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