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(from a lecture given to
foreign meditators on
10 February 2531 (1988) at Suan Mokkhabalarama.)
Today, we'll talk about
the thing called "prison." This should help us to
understand the thing called "life" better. Then, we'll
know Dhamma better, which will help us to live life
without dukkha (dissatisfaction, pain, stress,
suffering). So today we'll talk about the thing called
"prison." Please prepare your minds to listen carefully.
Wherever the conditions
and signs of prison exist, right there is dukkha. You
should observe that all the forms and types of dukkha
have a quality of prison about them. Being captured,
incarcerated, enchained, and put through difficulties
and hassles, are characteristics of dukkha. If you
understand this, then you will understand more clearly
the meaning of what we call "upadana" (clinging,
attachment). Wherever there is upadana, right there is a
prison. This thing "upadana" itself brings about the
conditions of imprisonment.
Wherever there is
upadana, right there is bondage. The bondage may be
positive or negative; both are equally binding. By
regarding things and clinging to them as "I" or "mine,"
bondage occurs. When bound to something, we get stuck in
it, just like being stuck in prison.
All of the Dhamma
principles of Buddhism can be summarized: upadana is the
cause of dukkha; dukkha is born out of upadana. We all
must understand this matter of upadana well. To make it
easy to understand, we must see it clearly as being just
like a prison -- a mental prison, a spiritual prison. We
come to study Dhamma and develop samadhi (mental
stability and calm) and vipassana (insight) in order to
destroy upadana. Or, if we speak metaphorically, we
study Dhamma and develop the mind in order to destroy
the prison that now traps us.
We're speaking about a
mental or spiritual prison, but it has the same meaning
as a concrete prison. It's just like the physical
prisons that people are caught in everywhere, but now
we're speaking of a purely spiritual prison. This
prison's a bit odd, or extraordinary, in that we can't
see its substance with our eyes. What's even more
extraordinary is that people volunteer to get locked up
in this prison. People are actually delighted to go and
get locked up in spiritual prison. This is a very queer
aspect of the spiritual prison.
Freedom is Salvation from Prison
You must recall the
words "salvation" or "liberation" that are used in all
religions. The final goal of all religions is salvation,
or emancipation, or whatever word is most suitable in
each language. But all these words have the same meaning
-- getting saved. All religions teach salvation. Yet,
from what are we saved? We are saved from spiritual
prison. The thing that all of you want and need even
right at this moment is the thing called "freedom" or
"liberty," which is, simply, escape from prison. Whether
a physical, material prison or a mental, spiritual
prison, the meaning is the same. In all cases, we want
freedom.
Those who lack wisdom
can see and fear only the physical, material prisons.
But those who have the wisdom (pañña) to look more
deeply will see how much more terrifying and dangerous
the spiritual prison is. Really, we can see that hardly
anybody is locked up in the ordinary jails, while
everyone in the world is caught in the spiritual prison.
For instance, every one of you sitting here is free of
the ordinary prison, but you all are incarcerated in the
spiritual prison. That which drives us to be interested
in Dhamma, to come to study Dhamma, to practice mental
development, is the oppression and force of being caught
in this spiritual prison. Whether you feel it or not
isn't important. It forces us, no matter what, to
struggle and search for a way out of spiritual
imprisonment. Nonetheless, it's forcing all of you,
whether you realize it or not, to find spiritual
freedom. So you come looking here and other such places.
Although that which
imprisons us is only one thing, namely, upadana all by
itself, this prison takes on many different forms. There
are dozens of styles and kinds of prison. If we take the
time to study every type of prison, it will help us to
understand this phenomenon much better. Then we will
understand upadana better, and we also will better
understand tanha (craving) and kilesa (defilements of
mind) which, according to the Buddhist teaching, cause
dukkha. We will understand the issue of dukkha if we
understand the issue of prison clearly and thoroughly.
I'd like to advise that
you use this word "upadana" instead of "attachment"or
any other English translation. Those English words are
constantly being misunderstood. You may not understand
it fully at this time, but try to use this word upadana
to accustom your mouth, your mind, and your feelings to
it.
We must realize that the
heart of Buddhism is to wipe out upadana. The heart of
Buddhism is that which gets rid of upadana, or cut it
out. Then there is no prison, and then there is no
dukkha.
You must take the
meaning of the English words attachment, grasping, and
clinging, then combine them to get the meaning of
"upadana." It's better for us to use the word upadana.
Its meaning is broader and it will enable us to look
into this matter more deeply and extensively.
The Single Essence of Buddhism
It may be just one
simple word, but upadana is the most important thing.
The heart of Buddhism is just to uproot or cut out this
upadana. Then dukkha will be finished. Please understand
that this is the heart of all Buddhism, it is found in
every sect and school. Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana
Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, whatever kind
of Buddhism you like, they're different only in name or
in the external ceremonies and practices. But inside
it's all the same thing: the cutting off of upadana.
Don't be sad, don't be
disappointed or anxious, don't make trouble for yourself
thinking that you haven't been able to study all the
schools of Buddhism. Don't worry if you haven't been
able to study Buddhism in Tibet, in Sri Lanka, in Burma,
in China, or anywhere. That's a waste of time. There is
just a single essence or heart of it all, namely, to
eliminate upadana. The labels Theravada, Mahayana, Zen,
Tibetan, and Chinese reflect only the outer covers of
what seems to be different kinds of Buddhism. If there
are any differences they are merely surface or
superficial ones, just a bunch of accumulated rites and
rituals. The true heart of the matter, the heart of all
Buddhism, is the same everywhere: the uprooting and
cutting out of upadana.
So just study this one
thing. Don't waste time being sad or thinking that you
haven't studied all the different kinds of Buddhism.
Study this single matter of the cutting off of upadana,
that is enough.
If you really want to
know Mahayana Buddhism like an expert, then you'll have
to go and learn Sanskrit. You can spend almost your
entire life trying to learn Sanskrit and still not
really know anything. Or if you want to know Zen well,
then you have to learn Chinese. Spend your whole life
learning Chinese and in the end you still won't know
Zen. To know Vajrayana, the Buddhism of Tibet, you'll
have to learn Tibetan. Just learning the languages will
cost almost your whole life, yet you won't really have
learned anything.
You still haven't gotten
into the heart of Buddhism. These are just
superficialities conjured up as new developments.
Understand the heart of it all and learn just this one
thing: the cutting off of upadana. Then you'll know the
essence of Buddhism, whether it is labeled Mahayana,
Theravada, Zen, or Vajrayana. Whether its from China,
Japan, Korea, or anywhere else, it's all in one place:
cutting out upadana.
Even in the single
school of Theravada Buddhism there are many different
forms. There are many different ways of mental
cultivation, too. There's the kind of meditation from
Burma, where they watch the rising and falling of the
abdomen. There are the kinds based on the mantras "Samma
Araham" and "Buddho, Buddho," as well as all other kinds
of different things. But if it's correct, the heart of
each is always in exactly the same place: the need to
eradicate upadana. If it hasn't gotten to the
elimination of upadana, it isn't the real thing yet. And
it won't be of any use or benefit, either. Why not be
interested in the matter of cutting off upadana, or, if
we speak metaphorically, destroying the prison? So it's
best if we speak about this prison.
Discover It Inside
To speak most correctly,
we really can't learn from scriptures, from techniques,
or from those various teachings if we are to be truly
successful. To successfully reap any real benefits, we
must learn in the thing itself, namely, the actual
prison. Study the actual dukkha in itself, that prison
itself. So we'd better look for and find this prison.
At this point, we are
confronted by two choices: are you going to learn from
the outside or are you going to learn from the inside?
The distinction is crucial. The Buddha said that we must
study from inside. The external learning is from books,
ceremonies, practices, and things like that. Everything
that we must learn, the Tathagata has explained in terms
of the body which is still alive. That means a living
body, with a living mind, not a dead one. That's where
real learning takes place, so learn there. Learn from
that inside, which means learn within yourself while
still alive, before you die. External studies, learning
from books and all those different ceremonies and
rituals, hasn't really accomplished anything of value.
So let's study inside. Please remember these words
"learn inside."
Training in samadhi and
vipassana (concentration and insight), that is,
developing mindfulness with breathing
(anapanasati-bhavana) as we have been doing here, is
this learning inside. To do this inner study takes a
fairly good amount of patience and endurance, but not
too much. Actually, in comparison with some of the
things other people are practicing, such as high level
sports, gymnastics, and acrobatics, training in samadhi
and vipassana is less difficult. Yet people have enough
endurance and perseverance to be able to do such things.
Just have moderate endurance and we will be able to
train with samadhi and vipassana, through mindfulness
with breathing. Some people can't take it, and have run
away already. We have had enough endurance to get this
far, and if we continue a bit more, then we'll be able
to do it and we'll receive the proper benefits. So,
please, apply yourself to this inner study and do so
with sufficient patience and endurance.
Life Itself Is Prison
Using metaphors makes it
easier for us to understand the matter we're discussing.
So we will make use of them here today. The first prison
which you must look for and see is life itself. If you
look on life as a prison, and see the prison that it is,
then we must say that you know the truth of nature quite
well. Most people, however, look on life as something
enjoyable, as an opportunity to have fun. They are
willing to live for the enjoyment of life. They then
become infatuated with and engrossed in life, which is
what turns it into prison.
If we see life as a
prison, then we must have seen the upadana in this life.
If we haven't seen the upadana in life, we won't see
that life is a prison and we'll be content to think that
this life is heaven instead. This is because there are
so many things in life that satisfy us, that trick us
and engross us; however, in anything that we find
satisfying, agreeable, attractive, and infatuating there
will be upadana as well. That thing becomes a prison.
However much we love something, it becomes at least that
much a prison because of upadana. This is a positive
kind of upadana. As soon as we hate something, or
dislike something, that becomes a negative kind of
upadana, which is a prison just the same. To be beguiled
and misled, either by the positive or by the negative,
is a prison both ways. And that prison turns life into
dukkha.
In addition, one will be
able to see that when there is upadana in life, then
life becomes a prison. And so, when there is no upadana,
then life is not a prison at all. You can see this right
now, here, whether or not there is upadana in your life?
"Is my life a prison or not? Am I living in a prison of
upadana, or not?" Each of you must look very carefully
into your own hearts and see absolutely clearly whether
life is a prison for you or not. Have you got a prison
or not? Are you living in a prison or not? Otherwise,
why are we coming here to meditate, to cultivate the
mind? In essence, the true goal and purpose of mental
development is the destruction of our prisons. Whether
your studies and practice are successful, whether you
can destroy the prison or not, is another question.
Nonetheless, our real aim and purpose is to destroy the
prison of life.
Consider this carefully.
If we don't recognize upadana, we are caught in prison
without even recognizing the prison. We are trapped in
prison without knowing the prison at all. What's more,
we are satisfied and infatuated with that prison, just
as we are infatuated and satisfied with life. Because we
are infatuated and satisfied in life, we get caught in
the prison of life. What are we going to do that it
won't be a prison? This is the question that we must
answer most carefully and correctly.
How are we to live so
that life is not a prison? This means that ordinarily,
or naturally, life is not a prison, that we only make it
into a prison through upadana. Because of our own
ignorance, our own stupidity, our own lack of correct
understanding, we have upadana in life. Life then
becomes a prison for us. In Thai we have a phrase which
is both crude and critical, "som nam na man," which
means something like, "it serves you right." Life isn't
a prison or any such thing, but through our own
stupidity we make upadana with ignorance (avijja) and
then there's the prison. What can we say but "som nam na
man, it serves you right."
If you are successful in
practicing anapanasati-bhavana (mindfulness with
breathing mind cultivation), you will understand life
well. You will know upadana well and you won't have any
upadana in this thing called "life." Then any prison
that is happening dissolves and disappears, and new
prisons don't occur. This kind of life has the most
value, but who gets it or does not get it is another
matter. Please try to understand these facts as you
ought to. This will motivate you to apply yourselves
with energy and patience to be able to destroy the
prison.
One way to look at these
facts is to observe that life must carry on according to
the law of nature; or that we ourselves must carry on in
line with natural law. We must search for food, must
exercise, must rest and relax, must work to maintain and
support our lives: we must do these and all the other
things that you know so well. Not to do them is
impossible. We're forced to do them. This is a prison,
too. The fact that we must always follow the law of
nature is a kind of prison. How are we going to break
out of this particular prison?
Why have we gotten
caught in the prison of having to live subject to the
law of nature? This prison comes from our upadana
regarding ourselves, or regarding our lives. When there
is upadana toward ourselves, then "I," the self is born.
This "I" is anxious about, it worries over, it is
frightened and afraid of, these natural duties, and so
is made miserable by them. These difficulties come from
upadana. If we had no upadana regarding "I," then these
necessary duties would not be like a prison. We would be
able to hunt for our needs, earn a living, and exercise
and care for the body, without being miserable, if we
didn't have any upadana toward life. This is very
subtle; it's a mystery for most people. This is the
subtlety of natural truth. How are we going to live so
that there's no dukkha connected with the fact that
everything in this life must be performed in line with
the law of nature?
The Instincts Are Prison
The next prison to
consider is that we live under the influence of the
instincts. We are under the instincts' power. All living
things, whether people, animals, or plants, have
instincts. These instincts constantly force us to follow
their concerns and needs. This is especially true for
the sexual or reproductive instinct. How much does it
control, hassle, activate, and complicate us? Sexual
feelings and reproductive urges squeeze us, oppress us,
disturb us so profoundly; they force us through all
kinds of difficulties. But we can't stop. Sometimes we
prefer it this way. Our children grow and mature to the
stage where the sexual instinct ripens completely and
then the child is caught in the prison of this sexual
instinct.
Finally, even the
instinct of showing off can run our lives. Many people
wouldn't think of this as an instinct, but all animals
have it. The need to show off, to brag, to display
oneself is an instinct. Even animals have the condition
of wanting to show off that they are beautiful, or
strong, or agile, or whatever. Even this craziest, most
ridiculous instinct is a prison. We want to show off and
boast. If it wasn't a prison, it wouldn't force and
oppress us in the least. Now, however, it forces us to
buy beautiful clothing, beautiful jewelry, beautiful
shoes even, and lots of them, too!
Why must we have many
beautiful shirts and many pairs of beautiful shoes? Why
do we need them all? (And forgive me, we must mention
the women in particular here.) There is this instinct to
show off and it is one kind of prison. Because people
can't endure it, they are forced to follow this
instinct, spending all kinds of money on all kinds of
things. The instinct to show off is the funniest, most
ridiculous of them all. Still it truly is a prison.
People never have enough money because of this prison.
Please consider and reflect carefully about these
examples of instincts which we have raised. They are
prisons too.
If we think about this,
if we make an account of all our expenses, we'll
discover that some people spend more money on clothing,
jewelry, and keeping themselves always beautiful than
they spend on food. Further, they insist on decorating
and prettying up their houses, which piles up their
expenses. Taken together, the two are more than they
spend on food, which is necessary for life. We put more
money into things which are unnecessary in life than we
put into the necessities of life, like food. This is one
more way of getting caught in the instinctual prison.
The Senses Are Prison
Next, we come to the
most amusing prison, the prison that's closest to us.
There are these eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and
mind: the six ayatana, the six sense media or bases.
They are prisons, too. Take a slow, careful look at
them. Listen carefully in order to understand how our
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind -- all six of
them -- become prisons.
In Pali we call them the
ayatana. The root of this word literally means "tools or
means for communicating with the external world" --
places, mechanisms, means, or whatever, for contacting
or communicating with the external world. We call them
"ayatana." If you're willing, use this Pali word
"ayatana." We aren't sure what to call them in English,
maybe "sense media" or "connectors." All six ayatana are
prisons.
We have upadana towards
life, regarding ourselves, which has these six media for
sensing, for experiencing, for communicating, or for
tasting and receiving sense objects. When there's
upadana regarding these six ayatana, we serve them and
become their slaves. We serve the eyes to gratify the
eyes. We serve the ears to gratify the ears. We serve
the nose to satisfy the nose. We serve the tongue to
satiate the tongue. We serve the skin and general body
sense to make it comfortable. We serve the mind, the
mental sense, in order to soothe and comfort it. This
means that all our behavior is just for entertaining
these ayatana. Everything we do is for the sake of these
six ayatana. We surrender to them and become their
slaves. Then, they squeeze and control us, there's no
avoiding them. We call this "getting caught in the
prison of the ayatana."
Consider whether there
is anyone, whether there are any of you, who is not
slavishly serving these six ayatana. And you serve them
willingly, don't you? You endure hardships and bend over
backwards in order to serve them, always looking for
ways to make the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and
mind comfortable and happy, in the most bound up way. So
we must admit that we are slaves. Those people who lack
wisdom will certainly be slaves of the ayatana, will
keep getting caught in the prison of ayatana. Through
the correct and successful practice of mindfulness with
breathing, we can escape from the prison. If we practice
anapanasati incorrectly and incompletely, we will remain
caught in the ayatana prison for who knows how long.
Superstition Is Prison
For the next prison, we
want to mention being deceived by the thing known as
"saiyasatr". All the superstitious formalities and
beliefs are saiyasatr. The more ignorance there is, the
more one lacks correct knowledge, then the more trapped
one is in superstitious prisons. Now, education and
science (vidayasatr) have improved, which has led to a
better understanding of natural truths, and of all
things. Still, there remains too much entrapment in
superstitious prisons. It's a personal thing. Some
people are caught very much and others not so much.
People are caught in different degrees and ways, but we
can say that there are still people caught in the prison
of saiyasatr, trapped by superstition.
Although in general
superstition has diminished greatly due to the progress
of science, there is still quite a bit of saiyasatr left
in the temples and churches. Please forgive us for
saying so, but the place we can find superstition the
most is in churches, in the temples, and in those kinds
of places. Although superstition has lessened in
general, there's a lot remaining in such places.
Wherever there are altars, wherever people bow down and
worship so-called sacred and holy things, there is the
place where the "science of the sleeper" persists.
Superstition, saiyasatr, is for people who are asleep.
It's for those who don't understand correctly, who are
ignorant. We are taught these things as children, before
we have the intelligence and ability to reason about
them. Children believe whatever they're told, and so
"adults" teach them many superstitious things. If you
still feel that thirteen is an unlucky number, that's
saiyasatr. You're still sleeping. There are many other
examples of superstition, but we'd better not name them.
Some people might get offended. These kinds of things
are prisons. Why not look carefully enough to see them
as such. Even the number "13" becomes a prison when
we're foolish.
Sacred Institutions Are Prisons
We should continue with
those institutions or establishments which are holy and
sacred, or are famous and celebrated; or those that are
rumored to be so elite and prestigious that anyone who
becomes a member of one is prestigious, too. There are a
number of such places and institutions around. As soon
as someone registers as a member of that association or
this organization, that institute or this establishment,
they start to get ideas and feelings about it. They feel
that "we're better than them" or "we're the ones who are
right and the rest are stupid." They grasp and cling
without the least bit of consideration or critical
thinking. In this way, that institution, even that
church -- we can't avoid saying so -- becomes a prison.
So we beg of you, don't think that Suan Mokkh is some
holy or miraculous institution, otherwise Suan Mokkh
will become a prison. Please don't turn Suan Mokkh into
your prison. You ought to think freely, examine
carefully, evaluate critically. Understand and believe
only what is genuinely beneficial. Don't get imprisoned
in any of those prestigious or famous institutions.
Teachers Are Prison
Now we come to the
prison called "ajahn" (teacher, master, guru), the
famous teachers whose names reverberate afar. In Burma
there's "Sayadaw This," in Sri Lanka there's "Bhante
That," in Tibet there's "Lama So- and -so," in China
there's "Master Whoever." Every place has its famous
teacher whose name is bouncing around. Whether national,
regional, provincial, or local, every place has got its
Big Guru. Then people cling and attach to their teachers
as being the only teacher who is correct; their teacher
is right and all other teachers are completely wrong.
They refuse to listen to other people's teachers. And
they don't think about or examine the teachings of their
own Ajahns. They get caught in the "Teacher Prison."
They turn the teacher into a prison, then get caught in
it. It's an attachment which is truly ridiculous.
Whether a big teacher or a small teacher, it's upadana
just the same. They keep building prisons out of their
teachers and gurus. Please don't get caught in even this
prison.
Holy Things Are Prison
The next prison is that
of holy scriptures, which we can find everywhere. Among
those people where there isn't much wisdom, these things
are much clung to, and the more so as being "holy." They
even become stand-ins or replacements for God. It's as
if merely bringing in the holy books is the same as
actually getting help. It leads to there being many
kinds of holy objects: sacred relics, holy water, and
all kinds of sacred things. Be most careful of this word
"holy." It will become a prison before you know it. The
more holy something is, the more greatly it imprisons.
Watch out for so-called "sacredness" or "holiness."
You ought to know that
there is nothing more sacred than the law of
idappaccayata (the law of conditionality), the supreme
holiness higher than all things. Everything else is holy
by convention or by what people concoct themselves,
which is holy through upadana. Wherever there is
holiness through upadana, that holiness is a prison. The
law of idappaccayata is sacred in itself, without
needing any attachment. There's no need for upadana. It
controls everything already and is truly holy all by
itself. Please don't get caught in the prison of holy
things. Don't make sacred things into a prison for
yourself.
Goodness Is Prison
A further prison is one
that is very important, one that causes all sorts of
problems. This prison is what they call "goodness."
Everyone likes the "good" and they all teach each other
to do good. Then they worship what they call "good." But
as soon as there is upadana mixed in with what they call
good, that good becomes a prison. You ought to have
good, have goodness, without having upadana. Then good
won't be prison. If there's upadana it becomes prison.
Like we say, they go crazy about good, they get drunk on
good, they get lost in good, until it turns into a
problem. So be extremely careful not to make goodness
into a prison. But there's nothing we can do to help
now, everyone is caught in the prison of goodness --
blindly, obliviously, trapped in the prison of good.
If you are a Christian,
we request that you think and ponder much about the
teaching in the book of Genesis, where God forbids Adam
and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil. Don't go and eat it, or it will lead to
knowing how to discriminate between good and evil. Then
it attaches with upadana toward that good and evil. And
then good and evil become prisons. This teaching is very
profound and good, most intelligent and wise, but nobody
seems to understand it. People don't show much interest
in it and thus can't be correct Christians. If they were
proper Christians they would not cling with upadana to
good and evil. We must not make either good or evil into
prisons. This means not getting caught in the prison of
goodness.
We swallowed that fruit
and came to know good and evil, then got caught and
stuck in all the good and evil. We have had continual
problems ever since, that's how it came to be called
"original sin," or sometimes "perpetual sin." It became
the original prison, a perpetual prison. Please beware:
be careful not to get caught in this original prison,
this perpetual prison. Don't ever let yourself get
caught in this prison.
With being imprisoned in
goodness, or the good, as soon as one gets caught it
carries on further all the way to the highest good, to
supreme goodness. Then the supreme goodness will become
that supreme prison. If it develops this way, then God
will become the supreme prison. May you understand and
remember that upadana builds prisons in this way.
Views Are Prison
The next prison is our
own ditthi. The Pali word ditthi is difficult to
translate. Knowledge, thoughts, ideas, theories,
opinions, beliefs, understanding -- all these are
ditthi. Ditthi means all our personal thoughts,
opinions, theories, and beliefs. It isn't just certain
opinions and little beliefs, it's all of them, all
views. Everything with which we view experience is
called ditthi. We are caught in a prison of our own
views. We don't obey anyone except our personal ditthi.
This is a most terrifying prison, because we
impetuously, rashly, hastily sail along according to our
own personal views. We turn our backs on and lose out to
the things that ought to benefit us, because our minds
are closed to everything but our own ideas, beliefs, and
views. Thus, these views become a horrible prison that
holds us and locks us into just one way of
understanding. Beware of the prison of one's own
ditthi.
Purity is the Highest Prison
Next we come to a prison
which is really strange and marvelous; you could call it
the "highest prison." The highest prison is what they
call "innocence" or "purity." It's difficult to
understand exactly what they mean by these words. We
hear all kinds of talk about innocence and purity, but
people never seem to know what they're talking about.
This purity is clung to and attached to, is regarded as
this and that, is worshipped, is used for show and
competition, is for boasting all over how pure "I am."
But if there's upadana it's all just purity
through upadana, not genuine purity. There are many
forms of purity that are assumed out of clinging, such
as, needing to take baths; making incantations; being
anointed, sprinkled, or dowsed with who knows what; or
any of the myriad rituals and ceremonies done for
"purity." This purity is pure upadana, and
purity through attachment is a prison. Please don't get
lost and end up in the prison named "purity."
It's something pitiful
to see. Clinging to self so much, then attaching to
purity just as much, some religious creeds even go so
far as to teach some perpetual purity as some eternal
soul dwelling in some eternity, or some such thing. The
whole thing comes from grasping and clinging to purity
through upadana until one is caught in an
eternal prison. It just ends up an eternal prison.
Voidness is Prison
May we tell you that
this is the last one, the final prison. Escape from the
prison of highest purity, break out of the purest
prison, into the voidness free of soul and self. Not
having any self, living free from self, voidness of self
-- of any sense of self, void of all ideas and notions
about self -- is true purity. Any purity which is truly
eternal cannot be a prison in any respect, unless people
misunderstand and cling to it as some self or soul, in
which case it becomes a prison again. Let go
unequivocally, be absolutely free of self -- that is
real purity. It's no prison. Voidness is the purity
which isn't a prison.
So it is that the real
prison, the collection of all these prisons that we have
mentioned, is the thing they call "atta" (in Pali),
"self," or "soul." Oneself is the prison. This self here
is the prison. Every kind of prison is included in,
comes down to the words "oneself" or "myself." Clinging
to self as self, and then as belonging to self,
attaching to "I" and "mine," this is the true prison,
the heart and soul of all prisons. All prisons are
gathered in the word "atta." Tear out the
foolishness that creates atta, along with
atta itself, and all the prisons will be gone. If
you practice anapanasati (mindfulness with
breathing in and out) correctly until truly successful
in it -- real, not imagined success -- you will destroy
all the prisons completely. That is, destroy atta, then
all the prisons are finished and we won't build any more
of them ever again. May you all experience success in
destroying the prisons, that is, atta or self.
The purpose of
anapanasati is to remove all vestiges of upadana
regarding self. The complete removal of attachment
toward self is the final and perfect quenching of
dukkha,
which happens to be the meaning of liberation, of
salvation. The highest goal of every religion is
salvation, the value and benefits of which are beyond
words. So please try.
Anapanasati,
when practiced correctly, leads to this liberation from
atta.
I have been trying my best and I am willing to do
whatever I can to help everyone understand
anapanasati
and practice it successfully, in order that all of us
can escape from all aspects of humanity's prison.
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