..续本文上一页he early days up to the present time has been like this. I didn”t actually rely on the scriptures, but then I didn”t disregard them either. I didn”t rely on a teacher but then I didn”t exactly "go it alone." My practice was all "neither this nor that."
Frankly it”s a matter of "finishing off," that is, practicing to the finish by taking up the practice and then seeing it to completion, seeing the Apparent and also the Transcendent.
I”ve already spoken of this, but some of you may be interested to hear it again: if you practice consistently and consider things thoroughly, you will eventually reach this point... At first you hurry to go forward, hurry to come back, and hurry to stop. You continue to practice like this until you reach the point where it seems that going forward is not it, coming back is not it, and stopping is not it either! It”s finished. This is the finish. Don”t expect anything more than this, it finishes right here. Khinasavo -- one who is completed. He doesn”t go forward, doesn”t retreat and doesn”t stop. There”s no stopping, no going forward and no coming back. It”s finished. Consider this, realize it clearly in your own mind. Right there you will find that there is really nothing at all.
Whether this is old or new to you depends on you, on your wisdom and discernment. One who has no wisdom or discernment won”t be able to figure it out. Just take a look at trees, like mango or jackfruit trees. If they grow up in a clump, one tree may get bigger first and then the others will bend away, growing outwards from that bigger one. Why does this happen
Who tells them to do that
This is Nature. Nature contains both the good and the bad, the right and the wrong. It can either incline to the right or incline to the wrong. If we plant any kind of trees at all close together, the trees which mature later will branch away from the bigger tree. How does this happen
Who determines it thus
This is Nature, or Dhamma.
Likewise, tanha, desire, leads us to suffering. Now, if we contemplate it, it will lead us out of desire, we will outgrow tanha. By investigating tanha we will shake it up, making it gradually lighter and lighter until it”s all gone. The same as the trees: does anybody order them to grow the way they do
They can”t talk or move around and yet they know how to grow away from obstacles. Wherever it”s cramped and crowded and growing will be difficult, they bend outwards.
Right here is Dhamma, we don”t have to look at a whole lot. One who is astute will see the Dhamma in this. Trees by nature don”t know anything, they act on natural laws, yet they do know enough to grow away from danger, to incline towards a suitable place.
Reflective people are like this. We go forth into the homeless life because we want to transcend suffering. What is it that make us suffer
If we follow the trail inwards we will find out. That which we like and that which we don”t like are suffering. If they are suffering then don”t go so close to them. Do you want to fall in love with conditions or hate them
... they”re all uncertain. When we incline towards the Buddha all this comes to an end. Don”t forget this. And patient endurance. Just these two are enough. If you have this sort of understanding this is very good.
Actually in my own practice I didn”t have a teacher to give as much teachings as all of you get from me. I didn”t have many teachers. I ordained in an ordinary village temple and lived in village temples for quite a few years. In my mind I conceived the desire to practice, I wanted to be proficient, I wanted to train. There wasn”t anybody giving any teaching in those monasteries but the inspiration to practice arose. I traveled and I looked around. I had ears so I listened, I had eyes so I looked. Whatever I heard p…
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