..续本文上一页will know the practice. You don”t need a whole lot. Just use the standards of practice to reflect on yourself inwardly.

　　Now the Rains Retreat is half way over. For most people it”s normal to let the practice slacken off after a while. They aren”t consistent from beginning to end. This shows that their practice is not yet mature. For instance, having determined a particular practice at the beginning of the retreat, whatever it may be, then we must fulfill that resolution. For these three months make the practice consistent. You must all try. Whatever you have determined to practice, consider that and reflect whether the practice has slackened off. If so, make an effort to re-establish it. Keep shaping up the practice, just the same as when we practice meditation on the breath. As the breath goes in and out the mind gets distracted. Then re-establish your attention on the breath. When your attention wanders off again bring it back once more. This is the same. In regard to both the body and the mind the practice proceeds like this. Please make an effort with it.

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　　The Flood of Sensuality

　　Kamogha... the flood of sensuality: sunk in sights, in sounds, in smells, in tastes, in bodily sensations. Sunk because we only look at externals, we don”t look inwardly. People don”t look at themselves, they only look at others. They can see everybody else but they can”t see themselves. It”s not such a difficult thing to do, but it”s just that people don”t really try.

　　For example, look at a beautiful woman. What does that do to you

　　 As soon as you see the face you see everything else. Do you see it

　　 Just look within your mind. What is it like to see a woman

　　 As soon as the eyes see just a little bit the mind sees all the rest. Why is it so fast

　　It”s because you are sunk in the "water." You are sunk, you think about it, fantasize about it, are stuck in it. It”s just like being a slave... somebody else has control over you. When they tell you to sit you”ve got to sit, when they tell you to walk you”ve got to walk... you can”t disobey them because you”re their slave. Being enslaved by the senses is the same. No matter how hard you try you can”t seem to shake it off. And if you expect others to do it for you, you really get into trouble. You must shake it off for yourself.

　　Therefore the Buddha left the practice of Dhamma, the transcendence of suffering, up to us. Take nibbana [36] for example. The Buddha was thoroughly enlightened, so why didn”t he describe nibbana in detail

　　 Why did he only say that we should practice and find out for ourselves. Why is that

　　 Shouldn”t he have explained what nibbana is like

　　"The Buddha practiced, developing the perfections over countless world ages for the sake of all sentient beings, so why didn”t he point out nibbana so that they all could see it and go there too

　　" Some people think like this. "If the Buddha really knew he would tell us. Why should he keep anything hidden

　　"

　　Actually this sort of thinking is wrong. We can”t see the truth in that way. We must practice, we must cultivate, in order to see. The Buddha only pointed out the way to develop wisdom, that”s all. He said that we ourselves must practice. Whoever practices will reach the goal.

　　But that path which the Buddha taught goes against our habits. To be frugal, to be restrained... we don”t really like these things, so we say, "Show us the way, show us the way to nibbana, so that those who like it easy like us can go there too." It”s the same with wisdom. The Buddha can”t show you wisdom, it”s not something that can be simply handed around. The Buddha can show the way to develop wisdom, but whether you develop much or only a little depends on the inpidual. Me…

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