..續本文上一頁t with one matter or another, and trouble arises as a result. But usually we don”t see the harm of our own recklessness, and this is why we never learn. So we keep thinking and acting in our old ways repeatedly, and the results are thus unceasing stress.

　　We shouldn”t guess, we shouldn”t anticipate what the practice will be like. Where is heaven

　　 Don”t guess about it. Where are the Brahma worlds

　　 Don”t waste your time anticipating. Where is stress

　　 Its cause

　　 Its cessation

　　 The path

　　 Don”t anticipate their being anywhere outside the body and mind that are in contact with each other and with these various things at all times. Focus right here, so as to see the truth in line with the principles of the Dhamma.

　　You”ll know what”s outside; you”ll know what”s inside. Especially when you know what”s inside, that”s when you”ll gain insight into everything that exists, in line with your temperament and abilities, without your anticipating it. The mind will simply know of its own accord. Your basic problem is that you don”t yet know yourself inside and simply want to know what”s outside. This will only make you agitated and confused, without serving any purpose.

　　If you want to gather matters into yourself so as to see the truth, then: What is hell

　　 And where is it

　　 If you want to know hell, then go ahead. Where is it

　　 Where is the suffering that the defilements dig up, the suffering they produce in ascending stages

　　 If it doesn”t lie in the body and mind, where does it lie

　　 If, when you let yourself fall into hell and the fires of hell burn you day and night, you still don”t know where hell is, then where else are you going to look for it

　　 Bring things inward in this way so as to know the truth: the Noble Truths that lie within you. Once you know the Noble Truths, you”ll understand every pit in hell without having to ask anyone. Think of how much the Buddha and his Noble Disciples knew about hell — and yet who told them about it

　　 How is it that they were able to know and see to the point of teaching us into the present

　　”Heaven” is the enjoyment, the sense of exhilaration in the Dhamma, in the goodness and merit that lie within the heart, causing it to be calm and at peace. This is your ”heavenly treasure.” The Brahma worlds lie with the levels of the mind. No matter which level of the Brahma worlds you want to reach, they are all levels of the mind that indicate on their own that this mental state corresponds to this level or that and that have the characteristics of those levels. For this reason, you have to put ”this one” — the mind — into good shape, into proper shape. Don”t go concerning yourself with anything other than this.

　　Every day, every night, we should probe into our own minds, together with the things that become involved with them. The important factors are the body — this is very important — and the five khandhas. These things are always making contact because they have been together with us since way back when. Things outside — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations — sometimes subside, but the five khandhas and the heart are always together and always at issue with one another. There is no one who can decide these issues and put an end to them unless we use mindfulness and discernment as our judges to make a decision that will put the case to rest.

　　Normally, rupa, vedana, sañña, sankhara, and viññana lie right with us, with the heart. They are interconnected and interrelated to the point where no one can untangle the case and pass a verdict, because we don”t have the discernment to deliberate and decide what verdict to pass. So we simply let issues arise all the time: ”That hurts. This aches. I”m afraid I”ll faint. I”m afraid I”ll die.” We really are afraid — as if by fearin…

《Straight from the Heart - The Principle of the Present》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…