..續本文上一頁r age, that”s how long we”ve been growing old, until we reach the end of life. When we”re old to the nth degree, we fall apart. In other words, we”ve been growing old from the moment of birth — older by the day, the month, the year — older and older continually. We call it ”growing up”, but actually it”s growing old.

　　See

　　 Investigate it for what it really is. This is the great highway — the way of nature. Don”t resist it. For example, the body is growing old, but we don”t want it to be old. We want it always to be young. This is called resisting the truth — which is stress. Even when we try to resist it, we don”t get anywhere. What do we hope to gain by resisting it and creating stress for ourselves

　　 Actually, we gain nothing but the stress that comes from resisting the truth.

　　Use discernment to investigate just like this. Whenever pain arises in any part of the body, if we have medicine to treat it, then we treat it. When the medicine can take care of it, the body recovers. When the medicine can”t, it dies. It goes on its own. There”s no need for us to force it not to die, or to stay alive for so-and-so many years, for that would be an absurdity. Even if we forced it, it wouldn”t stay. We wouldn”t get any results and would just be wearing ourselves out in vain. The body has to follow its own natural principles.

　　When we investigate in line with its truth this way, we can be at our ease. Wherever there”s pain, keep aware of it continually in line with its truth. Whether it hurts a lot or a little, keep aware of its manifestations until it reaches the ultimate point of pain — the death of the body — and that”s as far as it goes.

　　Know it in line with its truth. Don”t resist it. Don”t set up any desires, because the setting up of desire is a deficiency, a hunger. And hunger, no matter when or what the sort, is pain: Hunger for sleep is pain, hunger for food is pain, hunger for water is pain. When was it ever a good thing

　　The hunger, the desires that arise, wanting things to be like this, wanting them to be like that: These are all nothing but disturbances, issues that give rise to stress and pain. This is why the Buddha doesn”t have us resist the truth.

　　Use your discernment to investigate, to contemplate in line with the natural principles of things as they already are. This is called discernment that doesn”t fly in the face of truth — and the heart can then be at ease.

　　We study the four ”Noble Truths” here in our body. In other words, we study birth, aging, illness, and death, all of which lie in this single heap of elements (dhatu) without ever leaving it. Birth is an affair of these elements. Growing up or growing old, it”s old right here. When there”s illness, it manages to be ill right here, in one part or another. When death comes, it dies right here. So we have to study right here — where else would we study

　　 We have to study and know the things that involve us directly before we study anything else. We have to study them comprehensively and to completion — studying our own birth, our aging, our illness and pain, and completing our study of our own death. That”s when we”ll be wise — wise to all the events around us.

　　People who know the Dhamma through practicing so that they are wise to the events that occur to themselves, do not flinch in the face of any of the conventional realities of the world at all. This is how it is when we study the Dhamma, when we know and see the Dhamma in the area of the heart — in other words, when we know rightly and well. ”Mindfulness and discernment that are wise all around themselves” are wise in this way, not wise simply from being able to remember. They have to be wise in curing doubt, in curing the recalcitrance of the heart, as well as in curing their own attachments and false assump…

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