..續本文上一頁 Chah replied with great force, "Hay, listen! There”s no one here, just this! No owner, no one to be old, to be young, to be good or bad, weak or strong. Just this, that”s all - just various elements of nature going their own way, all empty. No one born and no one to die! Those who speak of birth and death are speaking the language of ignorant children. In the language of the heart, of Dhamma, there are no such things as birth and death."

　　94

　　The real foundation of the teaching is to see the self as being empty. But people come to study the Dhamma to increase their self-view, so they don”t want to experience suffering or difficulty. They want everything to be cozy. They may want to transcend suffering, but if there is still a self, how can they ever do so

　　95

　　It is so easy once you understand. It is so simple and direct. When pleasant things arise, understand that they are empty. When unpleasant things arise, see that they are not yours. They pass away. Don”t relate to them as being you, or see yourself as the owner of them. You think that papaya tree is yours, then why don”t you feel hurt when it is cut down

　　 If you can understand this, then this is the correct path, the correct teaching of the Buddha, and the teaching that leads to liberation.

　　96

　　People don”t study that which is beyond good and evil. This is what they should study. "I”m going to be like this; I”m going to be like that," they say. But they never say, "I”m not going to be anything because there really isn”t any “I”." This they don”t study.

　　97

　　Once you understand non-self, then the burden of life is gone. You”ll be at peace with the world. When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness and we can truly be happy. Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are - no holding on, no attachment, free.

　　98

　　All bodies are composed of the four elements of earth, water, wind and fire. When they come together and form a body we say it”s a male, a female, giving it names, and so on, so that we can identify each other more easily. But actually there isn”t anyone there - only earth, water, wind and fire. Don”t get excited over it or infatuated by it. If you really look into it, you will not find anyone there.

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　　Peace

　　99

　　Q: What”s peacefulness like

　　A: What”s confusion

　　 Well, peacefulness is the end of confusion.

　　100

　　Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.

　　101

　　If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

　　102

　　Actually, in truth, there isn”t anything to human beings. Whatever we may be, it”s only in the realm of appearances. However, if we go beyond appearances and see the truth, we will see that there isn”t anything there but the universal characteristics - birth in the beginning, change in the middle, and cessation in the end. This is all there is. If we see that all things are like this, then no problems arise. If we understand this, we will have contentment and peace.

　　103

　　Know what is good and bad, whether traveling or living in one place. You can”t find peace on a mountain or in a cave. You can even go to where the Buddha attained enlightenment without getting closer to the truth.

　　104

　　Looking outside the self is to compare and to discriminate. You will not find happiness that way. Nor will you find peace, if you spend more time looking for a perfect perso…

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