..续本文上一页ing. For example, suppose we had an orchard of apple trees that we were particularly fond of. That”s becoming for us if we don”t reflect with wisdom. How so

　　 Suppose our orchard contained a hundred apple trees and we considered them to be our trees. We”d then be born as a worm in every single one of them, and we”d bore into every one of them. Even though our human body may still be back at the house, we”d wend out tentacles into every one of those trees. It”s becoming because of our clinging to the idea that those trees are our own, that that orchard is our own. If someone were to take an axe and cut on of the trees down, we would die along with the tree. We”d get furious and would have to go and set things straight. We”d fight and even kill over it. The quarrelling is the birth. We are born right at the point where we consider anything to be our own, born from the becoming. Even if we had a thousand apple trees, if someone were to cut down just one, it would be like cutting the owner down. Whatever we cling to, we are born right there, we exist right there.

　　Apples

　　You can begin doing away with selfishness through giving. If people are selfish they do not feel good about themselves. And yet people tend to be very selfish without realizing how it affects them. You can experience this at any time. Notice it when you are hungry. If you get a couple of apples and then the opportunity arises to share them with someone else, a friend, for instance, you think it over. Really, the intention to give is there, but you only want to give away the smaller one. To give the big one, well, it would be a shame. It”s hard to thin straight. You tell your friend to go ahead and take one but then you say, "Take this!" and give him the smaller one. This is one form of selfishness, but people don”t often notice it. Have you ever seen this

　　 In giving, you really have to go against the grain. Even though you want to give the smaller fruit, you must force yourself to give the bigger one. Of course once you”ve given it to your friend, it feels so good. Training the mind by going against the grain in this way requires self-discipline. You must know how to give and how to give up and not nurture your selfishness. This is called going against the grain in a correct way.

　　Bamboo Shoots

　　No matter how much you like something you should reflect that it”s uncertain. Like bamboo shoots: they may seem to be so delicious but you must tell yourself "not sure!" If you want to test out if it”s sure or not, try eating them every day. Eventually you”ll complain: "This doesn”t taste so good anymore!" Then you”ll prefer another kind of food and be sure that food is delicious. But you”ll find out later that”s "not sure" too. Everything is just "not sure."

　　Big Stick, Little Stick

　　People aren”t able to see themselves outside of their problems because of wrong view. They”re like the man who throws away a small stick and picks up a bigger one, thinking that the bigger stick will be lighter.

　　Blind Person

　　To know the taste of Dhamma, you will have to put the teaching into practice yourself. The Buddha didn”t talk about the fruits of the practice in much detail because it”s something one can”t convey in words. It would be like trying to describe the different colors to someone who has been blind from birth. You couldn”t do it. You could try, but it wouldn”t serve much purpose.

　　Body and Its Charms

　　We are deluded by the body and its charms, but really it is foul. Suppose we didn”t take a bath for a week. Could we bear to be close to each other

　　 We”d really smell bad. When we sweat a lot, such as when we are working hard together, the smell is awful. We go back home and rub ourselves down with soap and water, and the fragrance of the soap replaces our bad body odor. …

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