..續本文上一頁Rubbing sweet-smelling soap on the body may make it seem fragrant, but actually the bad smell of the body is still there, temporarily suppressed. When the smell of the soap is gone, the smell of the body comes back again. Now we tend to think the body is beautiful, delightful and strong. We tend to think that we will never age, get sick or die. We are charmed and fooled by the body and so we are ignorant of the true refuge within ourselves. The true place of refuge is the mind.

　　Boiled Rice

　　The teachings of the Buddha can help us to solve our problems, but first we must practice and develop wisdom. It”s like wanting to have boiled rice. We must first build a fire, wait until the water comes to a boil, and let the rice cook for as long as it needs to. We just can”t throw rice into a pot of water and have boiled rice right away.

　　Brick Oven

　　If some sensation makes an impression on the mind, don”t simply disregard it. It”s like baking bricks. Have you ever seen a brick oven

　　 They build a fire up about two or three feet in front of the oven so that all the smoke gets drawn into it, and none is left outside. All the heat then goes into the oven and the job gets done quickly. People who practice the Dhamma should be like a brick oven. All their feelings will then be drawn inwards to be turned into Right View. Seeing sights, hearing sounds, smelling odors, tasting flavors, and so on, the mind draws everything inwards. Feelings thus become experiences which give rise to wisdom.

　　Bridge

　　Let your mind be like a bridge which is steady, and not like the water that rises and falls underneath it.

　　Buddha Statue

　　Enlightenment does not mean to become dead like a Buddha statue. An enlightened person still thinks, however he knows that the thinking process is impermanent, unsatisfactory, and empty. Through practice we can see these things clearly. We need to investigate suffering and stop its causes. If not, wisdom can never arise. We must see things exactly as they are - feelings are just feelings, thoughts are just thoughts. This is the way to end all our problems.

　　Building a House and Dyeing Cloth

　　Only wanting to make merit without developing virtue is like building a beautiful house without preparing the area first. It wouldn”t be long before the house would collapse. Or it”s like wanting to dye a piece of cloth without washing it first. Most people do it like that. Without looking at the cloth, they dip it into the dye straight away. If the cloth is dirty, dyeing it makes it come out even worse than before. Think about it. Would dyeing a dirty old rag look good

　　Yet this is how people are. They just want to perform good deeds, but don”t want to give up wrongdoing. They still haven”t understood that it is only when the mind is free of impurities that the mind can be peaceful. You have to look into yourself, look at the faults in your actions, speech and thoughts. Where else are you going to practice but in your actions, speech and thoughts

　　Cars

　　All religions are like different cars all moving in the same direction. People who don”t see it like that have no light in their hearts.

　　Cat

　　If defilements arise, you have to do something about them. Defilements are like a cat. If you give it as much food as it wants, it will constantly be coming around to look for more. But if one day it scratches you and you decide not to feed it anymore, it will finally not come around. Oh, yes, it will still come around meowing at first, but if you remain firm it will finally stop doing so. It”s the same with the different defilements of your mind. If you do not feed them, they will not come around to disturb you again and again, and your mind will be at peace.

　　Chicken in a Coop

　　As the mind develops calm, it is held in check by that cal…

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