..續本文上一頁to the other side, then the sunshine comes out and you move back to that side. Why is that

　　 Why don”t you bother to let go there

　　" I gave him a long discourse on this; then when I”d finished, he said,

　　"Oh, Luang Por, sometimes you teach me to cling and sometimes you teach me to let go. I don”t know what you want me to do. Even when my roof collapses and I let go to this extent, still you say it”s not right. And yet you teach me to let go! I don”t know what more you can expect of me..."

　　You see

　　 People are like this. They can be as stupid as this.

　　Are there visual objects within the eye

　　 If there are no external visual objects would our eyes see anything

　　 Are their sounds within our ears if external sounds don”t make contact

　　 If there are no smells outside would we experience them. Where are the causes

　　 Think about what the Buddha said: All dhammas [48] arise because of causes. If we didn”t have ears would we experience sounds

　　 If we had no eyes would we be able to see sights

　　 Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind -- these are the causes. It is said that all dhammas arise because of conditions, when they cease it”s because the causal conditions have ceased. For resulting conditions to arise, the causal conditions must first arise.

　　If we think that peace lies where there are no sensations would wisdom arise

　　 Would there be causal and resultant conditions

　　 Would we have anything to practice with

　　 If we blame the sounds, then where there are sounds we can”t be peaceful. We think that place is no good. Wherever there are sights we say that”s not peaceful. If that”s the case then to find peace we”d have to be one whose senses have all died, blind, and deaf. I thought about this...

　　"Hmm. This is strange. Suffering arises because of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. So should we be blind

　　 If we didn”t see anything at all maybe that would be better. One would have no defilements arising if one were blind, or deaf. Is this the way it is

　　"...

　　But, thinking about it, it wall all wrong. If that was the case then blind and deaf people would be enlightened. They would all be accomplished if defilements arose at the eyes and ears. There are the causal conditions. Where things arise, at the cause, that”s where we must stop them. Where the cause arises, that”s where we must contemplate.

　　Actually, the sense bases of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are all things which can facilitate the arising of wisdom, if we know them as they are. If we don”t really know them we must deny them, saying we don”t want to see sights, hear sounds, and so on, because they disturb us. If we cut off the causal conditions what are we going to contemplate

　　 Think about it. Where would there be any cause and effect

　　 This is wrong thinking on our part.

　　This is why we are taught to be restrained. Restraint is sila. There is the sila of sense restraint: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind: these are our sila, and they are our samadhi. Reflect on the story Sariputta. At the time before he became a bhikkhu he saw Assaji Thera going on almsround. Seeing him, Sariputta thought,

　　"This monk is most unusual. He walks neither too fast nor too slow, his robes are neatly worn, his bearing is restrained." Sariputta was inspired by him and so approached Venerable Assaji, paid his respects and asked him,

　　"Excuse me, sir, who are you

　　"

　　"I am a samana."

　　"Who is your teacher

　　"

　　"Venerable Gotama is my teacher."

　　"What does Venerable Gotama teach

　　"

　　"He teaches that all things arise because of conditions.

　　When they cease it”s because the causal conditions have ceased."

　　When asked about the Dhamma by Sariputta, Assaji explained only in brief, he talked about cause and effect. Dhammas arise because of causes. The cause arises first and then t…

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