..续本文上一页s instead, through the power of mindfulness and discernment. Within the heart it is dazzlingly bright at that moment with ”dhammo padipo” — the light of the Dhamma.

　　This is all there is. This is the important point we have to investigate. Be sure to see it. The religion is marvelous — where is it marvelous

　　 The religion flourishes — where does it flourish

　　 The Buddha says to gain release from stress — where is it gained

　　 It exists only here in the heart. To analyze it, there are the four Noble Truths: stress, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

　　1. Stress (dukkha): We know it”s stress because we aren”t dead.

　　2. The origin of stress (samudaya): This is what fosters or produces stress. What forms does it take

　　 We”re taught, ”Craving... embued with passion and delight, relishing now here and now there; i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for being, craving for not-being.” This we know. Whatever the mind may love or crave, we should try to straighten it out. It loves and craves the five khandhas, and especially the five khandhas that it says are ”me.” So try to become wise to these things, step by step.

　　And then there”s more love and craving: love and craving for the mind, attachment to the mind, cherishing the mind. So straighten out the mind. Wherever it feels love, that”s where defilement is. Keep going in, straightening things out, until you”ve reached the truth. Then the heart will have no love or hate, because they are all gone. The defilements are all gone. The mind has no love, no hate, no anger. It”s a pure principle of nature within itself. This is the nature we truly want.

　　3. Investigating for the sake of Dhamma: This is the path (magga), with mindfulness and discernment its important factors.

　　4. The cessation of stress (nirodha): Stress stops, step by step, until the path is fully capable and nirodha stops all stress in the heart without leaving a trace. When nirodha has finished stopping stress, that which knows that stress has stopped and defilement has stopped... that which knows is ”the pure one.” This pure one lies beyond the Noble Truths as a marvelous, extraordinary Dhamma.

　　The Noble Truths are activities, conditions, conventions. Even nirodha is a convention. It”s the activity of stopping stress. It”s a conventional reality. When stress is completely stopped, nothing remains. All that remains is an entirely pure awareness. This is not a Noble Truth. It”s the purity of the mind. If you want, you can call it nibbana. There”s nothing against calling it whatever you want. When we reach this level, there are no conflicts — no conflicts, no disagreements with anyone at all. We don”t conflict with ourselves; we don”t conflict with anything. Our knowledge is wise to everything, so we can say what we like. There are no problems at all. All I ask is that you know this marvelous, extraordinary Dhamma. Its excellence exists of its own accord, without our having to confer titles.

　　This, then, is the genuine religion. Probe right here. Probe on in. When in the practice of the religion we come to know, we”ll know right here. If the religion is to flourish, it will flourish right here. The Buddha, in teaching the beings of the world to gain release from suffering, taught right here — and release is gained right here, nowhere else. We qualify as beings of the world and lie within the net of the Buddha”s teachings. We”re in the Buddha”s following. Each of us has the right to practice and remove defilement so as to go beyond suffering and stress. All of us in the four groups of the Buddha”s following (parisa) have the right to realize ourselves and reach nibbana.

　　So. I ask that you contemplate. Investigate. Be brave in fighting the things that should be fought within the heart. Develop courage. Develop mindfulness…

《Straight from the Heart - Feelings of Pain》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…