..續本文上一頁old to the mind as being us or ours when the entire army of defilement is in there

　　 If we hold to the mind as being us or ours, it”s the same as holding to defilement as being us or ours, so how can we gain release

　　 Very profound, this point of Dhamma, here on the level of investigation.

　　The mind too is inconstant, stressful, and not-self because the defilements are in there. So strike on down with your investigation. Whatever gets smashed -- even if ultimately the mind itself is demolished along with everything else -- at least know it clearly with your discernment.

　　The defilement that forms the essence of the cycle (vatta) -- which in Pali is termed ”avijja-paccaya sankhara,” ”With unawareness as condition, there occur mental formations”: This is the seed of becoming and birth, buried here in this mind. When its bridges are cut, it can”t find any way out to go looking for food. The bridges out the eyes have been cut. The bridges out the ears, nose, tongue, and body have all been cut by discernment. The defilements can”t find any way out to develop love for sights, smells, tastes, or tactile sensations, because all their bridges have been cut. We”re abreast of things as they actually occur, so the defilements go running inside. If they try to become attached to the body, that”s something we”ve already investigated and known with discernment, something we”ve already let go. Feelings, labels, thought-formations, and cognizance have all been investigated and seen to have the three characteristics of inconstancy, stress, and not-self, so where do the defilements lie

　　 They have to be hiding in the Big Cave: the mind. So discernment goes slashing in.

　　So now, is the mind us

　　 Is it ours

　　 Slash on down! Whatever is going to be destroyed, let it be destroyed. We feel no regrets. We want only the truth. Even if the mind is going to be smashed and destroyed along with everything else, let”s at least know with our practice. Strike on down! Ultimately, everything counterfeit gets smashed, while the nature of pure truth, of supreme truth -- the pure mind -- doesn”t die and isn”t destroyed. See

　　 So now whether you call it inconstant, stressful, and not-self or not, at least make the mind pure, and it will gain release from all conventional realities. Inconstancy, stress, and not-self lie within the realm of convention. Once the mind has gained release from these things, there”s nothing more that can be said -- even though we are completely aware. So what is there now to doubt

　　This is release from the prison, from the cycle that imprisons living beings, and us in particular -- our mind in particular, now extricated right here. Freed right here. All that is needed is for the defilements to be shed entirely from the heart: There is nothing else to pose the heart any problems. This is thus called the timeless heart, the timeless Dhamma, freed from time. It”s a pure nature, always fully ”buddho” like that.

　　At this point, how can we not clearly see the harm of defilement

　　 When such things as mindfulness and discernment have trampled defilement to bits, how can we not see its harm with our whole heart

　　 How can we not see through the happiness that the defilements bring to feed us when we”re ready to die, simply to keep us going

　　 ”That”s the sugar-coated happiness concocted by the defilements simply to keep us going. That”s the flavor of defilement. But the flavor the Dhamma is like this, something else entirely.” How can we help but know

　　To summarize, the mind that lies under the power of the cycle, with the defilements coercing and oppressing it, is not at all different from a convict in prison. When it has gained utter release from its prison of defilement, there”s no comparison for it. Even so, we praise it as being supreme -- a conven…

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