..续本文上一页”t see results is because we”re not true in what we do. Only five precepts, and yet we can”t catch them by the head or the tail. And when this is the case, how can we ever hope to make a living at anything

　　 Only four concentrations — the four stages of jhana — and yet we keep groping around and can”t find them. There are people who can manage farms covering hundreds and thousands of acres, and yet we can”t even manage just four concentrations. Isn”t that embarrassing

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　　If we aren”t true to the Buddha”s teachings in our thoughts and actions, the results of our not being true will keep pushing us further and further away from the Dhamma. We”ll have to be hungry and suffer in various ways. For this reason, the Buddha taught us to be true in whatever we do. When we”re true in this way, then even though we live in the world, we can be at our ease. We know how to flush the suffering out of our heart, to the point where the body feels comfortable in every part. Peace and calm depend on the heart”s having enough and being full. If the heart is full, external fires won”t be able to seep into it. When the body is filled with mindfulness, then where will there be anything lacking in the heart

　　This is why, if we want to be full, we have to make an effort at developing our meditation as much as possible. Rapture will then arise. When rapture arises, we”re not stuck on it because we realize that it”s undependable. It eventually has to fade away. So we let go of the rapture. When we let go of the rapture, the mind is at ease in a sense of pleasure. This sense of pleasure and ease is much more refined and profound than rapture, with none of its active symptoms. Rapture is like a person who”s pleased by something and so shows it by smiling or laughing. As for pleasure, it doesn”t have any external signs. It”s hidden in the heart, as when a person is very rich but doesn”t show his wealth in any way that people would catch on. This pleasure is what calms the mind. If it were to show itself externally, it wouldn”t serve any purpose. Pleasure of this sort can cool the heart and give it respite, and this is what leads to stillness and peace. When the mind is at peace, it grows bright and clear, just like a sea without any waves: You can see the boats ten miles away. Whatever comes from the north, south, east, or west, you can see it clearly without having to use a spyglass. Our vision goes out further than normal. This is how we give rise to vipassana, or the insight that allows us to know and see the truths of the world.

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　　If we have a coconut, crack it open, and eat the flesh, it fills us up only once. If we forego eating it and plant it in the ground until it grows into a tree with more coconuts, then take those coconuts and plant them, eventually we”ll become coconut plantation millionaires.

　　If we get money and simply stash it away, it won”t serve any purpose, and the day will come when it”s no longer safe. So we have to find the right place to put it, by making donations to the religion. That”s when it will give rise to further results.

　　If the mind goes no further than concentration, it simply gets a sense of ease. We have to invest that stillness in giving rise to discernment. That”s when we”ll meet with the highest happiness.

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　　If the mind has a sense of inner fullness, then when we associate with other people they”ll pick up on that sense of fullness as well. If we”re miserable, then when we associate with other people we”ll make them miserable, too.

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　　If we can develop the power of the mind, we can send thoughts of good will to help lessen the sufferings of other people. But if we don”t straighten ourselves out first, we can”t really help anyone else, in the same way that a crazy person can”t help another crazy person become sane. If we”re on fire and other people are on fire, how can we help them

　　 We have to put out our own fires first before we can help them cool down. We have to "have" before we can "give."

《The Skill of Release - The Skills of Jhana》全文阅读结束。