..續本文上一頁rnment have to unravel these important points more than they have to deal with any other work.
The body. We should analyze it with our discernment so as to see it clearly. The words ”the body of a woman” or ”the body of a man” are simply names given in line with convention. Actually, it”s not a woman or a man. It”s simply an ordinary body just like ours, covered all over with skin. If we look inside, there”s flesh, tendons, and bones. It, like us, is all full of filthy and repulsive things. There”s no part that”s basically any different from our own body. There”s simply the label in our mind that says ”woman” or ”man.” This word ”woman” or ”man” is engraved deeply within the heart by the heart”s own suppositions, even though it”s not a truth, and is simply a supposition.
The same with the voice: It”s just an ordinary sound, and yet we label it the voice of the opposite sex and so it stabs deep into the heart -- especially for those of us who are ordained -- and goes clear through, to the point where we forget ourselves. The heart gets cut at the stem, even though we continue to live. The stem of the heart is torn, rotten, and putrid, and yet we don”t die. Instead, we listen with pleasure to the song of our heart”s being cut at the stem, without ever wearying of it or having enough.
The smell: It”s an ordinary smell, just like ours, because it”s the smell of a person. Even if we bring perfumes and scents from the realms of the devas and Brahmas to rub down that body, the smell is the smell of those things, not the smell of a woman or man, not the least little bit. So analyze this and make careful distinctions.
The taste is simply the touch. The touch of that body is no different from one part of our own body touching another part. Each of the parts is just earth, water, wind, and fire, just like ours. We can”t see that there”s any difference. So we have to investigate clearly like this and then make comparisons, comparing the sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch of the woman or man with our own sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. There”s no difference in terms of the principles of nature and of the truth, aside from the mind”s conferring titles in line with its thoughts.
For this reason, we must use discernment to unravel things. Don”t let suppositions of any kind that will be your enemies infiltrate or destroy your heart. Shake them off using discernment, which is a truth, coming down to the truth that these things are just sights, just sounds, just smells, just tastes, just tactile sensations, all of which pass by and disappear like other things. This is without a doubt the right way to contemplate that can gradually uproot our attachments and misconceptions concerning these matters.
Whatever object you may investigate in the world, it”s full of inconstancy, stress, and lack-of-self. There”s nothing lasting to be found. All things depend on one thing or another, and then fall apart. Whatever the object: If it exists in the world, it has to fall apart. If it doesn”t fall apart, we will. If it doesn”t break up, we”ll break up. If it doesn”t leave, we”ll leave -- because this world is full of leaving and separation through the principles of nature. So investigate in this way with discernment to see clearly before these things leave us or we leave them, and then let them go in line with their truth. When we can do this, the mind will be at its ease. Here we”ve been talking about discernment on the level of investigating sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations. Whether within or without, on the blatant or the subtle level, this is how all of these things are investigated.
Concentration I”ve already explained to some extent. Concentration refers to the stability and solidity of the heart, beginning with…
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