A Taste for the Dhamma

　　In the basic principles of the doctrine, we are taught that, ”A delight in the Dhamma surpasses all other delights. The flavor of the Dhamma surpasses all other flavors.” This statement was made by a person who had felt delight in the true Dhamma, who had tasted the flavor of the true Dhamma: namely, our Lord Buddha. For this reason, those who take an interest in listening to his teachings find that no matter what the statement, each word, each sentence goes straight to the heart — except, of course, for people who are simply going through the motions of listening without focusing the mind, letting it drift engrossed in various things in line with its original inclinations without gaining anything of any worth.

　　The teachings of the religion have no meaning in a mind of this sort until it turns to the Dhamma, develops an interest of its own accord, and puts the Dhamma into practice. Only then will the flavor of the Dhamma seep deep into the heart, nurturing it and giving rise to conviction step by step. This is because the heart now has a continuing basis for the Dhamma that supports it in ascending stages.

　　In particular, when listening to Dhamma dealing with the practice, if our mind doesn”t have any experience with meditation, has never taken an interest in the Dhamma, has never taken an interest in practicing the Dhamma, then not even a single statement will arrest the attention. When listening to a talk on the practice dealing with the stages of the mind, the progress of the mind, setting the mind aright in relationship to the defilements or to the path — mindfulness and discernment, or persistent effort — we won”t understand. When we don”t understand, we become frustrated and turn our attention elsewhere. Perhaps we may become drowsy and want to go to sleep or something of the sort. The talk seems long because it acts as a drag on our defilements, preventing them from roaming around as they please. This is because we have to keep control over the mind while we listen to the talk; and the mind, when kept under control in this way, feels hemmed in, imprisoned within limits it finds oppressive. Annoyed and bored, it doesn”t want to listen, except for the purpose of creating useless issues for entangling itself.

　　But when we keep listening with interest, meditating even while we listen, the mind becomes focused and follows along with the stream of Dhamma being explained. The mind grows still because the awareness making contact with the Dhamma maintains that contact continuously, step by step, without break. The heart has no chance to slip away to any other preoccupations that are its enemies while listening, and so it”s able to settle down and be still.

　　To be able to settle down in this way is to begin building a base, or to scrub our vessel — the heart — making it clean and fit to receive the Dhamma. The heart will start growing more peaceful and calm, seeing the value of listening to the Dhamma as explained by the Buddha: ”Listening to the Dhamma has five rewards.” The fifth reward is the important one: ”The mind of the listener becomes radiant and calm.” This one is very important, but it must build on the earlier ones. ”The listener hears things he or she has never heard” — this is the basis for the rest.

　　Suppose that we have never listened to anything in the way of the practice or whatever. When we come to listen, we gain an understanding of things we have never heard before. Things that we have heard before, but never understood clearly, we gradually come to understand more and more clearly. We can bring our views more correctly into line. And finally we reach the stage where ”the mind of the listener becomes radiant and calm.” When results of this sort appear, a delight in the Dhamma will deve…

《Straight from the Heart - A Taste for the Dhamma》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…