Just like a cloth, dirty & stained...

"Just like a cloth, dirty & stained: Its owners give it over to a washerman, who scrubs it with salt earth or lye or cow-dung and then rinses it in clear water. Now even though the cloth is clean & spotless, it still has a lingering residual scent of salt earth or lye or cow-dung. The washerman gives it to the owners, the owners put it away in a scent-infused wicker hamper, and its lingering residual scent of salt earth, lye, or cow-dung is fully obliterated.

"In the same way, friends, even though a noble disciple has abandoned the five lower fetters (see labels), he still has with regard to the five clinging-aggregates (see labels) a lingering residual 'I am' conceit, an 'I am' desire, an 'I am' obsession. But at a later time he keeps focusing on the phenomena of arising & passing away with regard to the five clinging-aggregates: 'Such is form, such its origin, such its disappearance. Such is feeling... Such is perception... Such are fabrications... Such is consciousness, such its origin, such its disappearance.' As he keeps focusing on the arising & passing away of these five clinging-aggregates, the lingering residual 'I am' conceit, 'I am' desire, 'I am' obsession is fully obliterated."

Khemaka Sutta: About Khemaka
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Sunk in confusion

Staying attached to the cave, covered heavily over,1 a person sunk in confusion is far from seclusion — for sensual pleasures sensual desires2 in the world are not lightly let go.

......

.....Doing nothing for which he himself would rebuke himself, the enlightened person doesn't adhere to what's seen, to what's heard. Comprehending perception, he'd cross over the flood — the sage not stuck on possessions. Then, with arrow removed, living heedfully, he longs for neither — this world, the next.

Guhatthaka Sutta: The Cave of the Body
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The body is a nest of...

Fully worn out is this body, a nest of disease, and fragile. This foul mass breaks up, for death is the end of life.
-Dhammapada

The Earth Property...

The Earth Property

"And what is the earth property?

The earth property can be either internal or external.

Which is the internal earth property?

Whatever internal, within oneself, is hard, solid, & sustained [by craving]: head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, contents of the stomach, feces, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is hard, solid, & sustained: This is called the internal earth property. Now both the internal earth property and the external earth property are simply earth property. And that should be seen as it actually is with right discernment: 'This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.' When one sees it thus as it actually is with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the earth property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the earth property.

"Now there comes a time, friends, when the external liquid property is provoked (see the post below), and at that time the external earth property vanishes. So when even in the external earth property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is 'I' or 'mine' or 'what I am'? It has here only a 'no.'

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile
translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Liquid Property...

The Liquid Property

"And what is the liquid property?

The liquid property may be either internal or external.

What is the internal liquid property?

Whatever internal, belonging to oneself, is liquid, watery, & sustained: bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine, or whatever else internal, within oneself, is liquid, watery, & sustained: This is called the internal liquid property. Now both the internal liquid property and the external liquid property are simply liquid property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: 'This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.' When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the liquid property and makes the mind dispassionate toward the liquid property.

"Now there comes a time, friends, when the external liquid property is provoked and washes away village, town, city, district, & country. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean drops down one hundred leagues, two hundred... three hundred... four hundred... five hundred... six hundred... seven hundred leagues. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands seven palm-trees deep, six... five... four... three... two palm-trees deep, one palm-tree deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands seven fathoms deep, six... five... four... three... two fathoms deep, one fathom deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean stands half a fathom deep, hip-deep, knee-deep, ankle deep. There comes a time when the water in the great ocean is not even the depth of the first joint of a finger.

"So when even in the external liquid property — so vast — inconstancy will be discerned, destructibility will be discerned, a tendency to decay will be discerned, changeability will be discerned, then what in this short-lasting body, sustained by clinging, is 'I' or 'mine' or 'what I am'? It has here only a 'no.'

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

How to maintain one's livelihood in tune...

"And what does it mean to maintain one's livelihood in tune? There is the case where a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.' Just as when a weigher or his apprentice, when holding the scales, knows, 'It has tipped down so much or has tipped up so much,' in the same way, the lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income.' If a lay person has a small income but maintains a grand livelihood, it will be rumored of him, 'This clansman devours his wealth like a fruit-tree eater*.'If a lay person has a large income but maintains a miserable livelihood, it will be rumored of him, 'This clansman will die of starvation.' But when a lay person, knowing the income and outflow of his wealth, maintains a livelihood in tune, neither a spendthrift nor a penny-pincher, [thinking], 'Thus will my income exceed my outflow, and my outflow will not exceed my income,' this is call maintaining one's livelihood in tune.

AN 8.54

Dighajanu (Vyagghapajja) Sutta: To Dighajanu

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

* one who shakes more fruit off a tree than he can possibly eat.

Just like a horse trainer trains his horses....

Then Kesi the horsetrainer went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him: "You, Kesi, are a trained man, a trainer of tamable horses. And how do you train a tamable horse?"

"Lord, I train a tamable horse [sometimes] with gentleness, [sometimes] with harshness,[sometimes] with both gentleness & harshness."

"And if a tamable horse does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, Kesi, what do you do?"

"If a tamable horse does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild and harsh training, lord, then I kill it.

Why is that? [I think:] 'Don't let this be a disgrace to my lineage of teachers.' But the Blessed One, lord, is the unexcelled trainer of tamable people. How do you train a tamable person?"

"Kesi, I train a tamable person [sometimes] with gentleness, [sometimes] with harshness, [sometimes] with both gentleness & harshness.

"In using gentleness, [I teach:] 'Such is good bodily conduct. Such is the result of good bodily conduct. Such is good verbal conduct. Such is the result of good verbal conduct. Such is good mental conduct. Such is the result of good mental conduct. Such are the devas. Such are human beings.'

"In using harshness, [I teach:] 'Such is bodily misconduct. Such is the result of bodily misconduct. Such is verbal misconduct. Such is the result of verbal misconduct. Such is mental misconduct. Such is the result of mental misconduct. Such is hell. Such is the animal womb. Such the realm of the hungry shades.'

"In using gentleness & harshness, [I teach:] 'Such is good bodily conduct. Such is the result of good bodily conduct. Such is bodily misconduct. Such is the result of bodily misconduct. Such is good verbal conduct. Such is the result of good verbal conduct. Such is verbal misconduct. Such is the result of verbal misconduct. Such is good mental conduct. Such is the result of good mental conduct. Such is mental miscondut. Such is the result of mental misconduct. Such are the devas. Such are human beings. Such is hell. Such is the animal womb. Such the realm of the hungry shades.'"

"And if a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, what do you do?"

"If a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, then I kill him*, Kesi."

"But it's not proper for our Blessed One to take life! And yet the Blessed One just said, 'I kill him, Kesi.'"

"It is true, Kesi, that it's not proper for a Tathagata to take life. But if a tamable person does not submit either to a mild training or to a harsh training or to a mild & harsh training, then the Tathagata does not regard him as being worth speaking to or admonishing. His knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard him as being worth speaking to or admonishing*. This is what it means to be totally destroyed in the Doctrine & Discipline, when the Tathagata does not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing, and one's knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing."

"Yes, lord, wouldn't one be totally destroyed if the Tathagata does not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing, and one's knowledgeable fellows in the holy life do not regard one as being worth speaking to or admonishing!

"Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."

AN 4.111

Kesi Sutta: To Kesi the Horsetrainer

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

These are the four unconjecturables...

"There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them.

Which four?

1. "The Buddha-range of the Buddhas1 is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

2. "The jhana-range of a person in jhana...2

3. "The [precise working out of the] results of kamma...

4. "Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.

"These are the four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them."

Acintita Sutta: Unconjecturable

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html

1. I.e., the range of powers a Buddha develops as a result of becoming a Buddha.

2. I.e., the range of powers that one may obtain while absorbed in jhana.

We suffer because...

We suffer because we don't like the change. But change is the reality of all conditioned things, animate or inanimate alike.

It's all about coming to our senses..

Suffering is a result of clinging, clinging is a result of craving, craving is a result of feeling, and this all goes back to our senses. If we "come to our senses," our ignorance will be gone. So will be our craving and suffering. We then will be free.

The footprint of the elephant

Ven. Sariputta said: "Friends, just as the footprints of all legged animals are encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant's footprint is reckoned the foremost among them in terms of size; in the same way, all skillful qualities are gathered under the four noble truths. Under which four? Under the noble truth of stress, under the noble truth of the origination of stress, under the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and under the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

"And what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful.1 In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful. And which are the five clinging-aggregates? The form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrication clinging-aggregate, & the consciousness clinging-aggregate.

Maha-hatthipadopama Sutta: The Great Elephant Footprint Simile

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

To read the full sutta:http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.028.than.html#inlaw

You can't gain wisdom by shutting the eyes...

You can't gain wisdom by shutting the eyes, closing the ears... and so on (same is true for all the six senses) but understanding (realizing) how they really work...

We have fallen into a "river rapid" called...

We have fallen into a "river rapid" called the dependent origination, a chain of reactions that causes this whole mass of suffering. Every moment we are accumulating kamma that will generate our future birth. However we are not aware of it because of our ignorance. Only the ones who realize this, can unchain this series of unfortunate events. The key link is getting rid of craving.... this is our fina goal... Nirvana.

One drop at a time....

Keep reflecting mindfully on the Dhamma you have learnt. Dhamma is everywhere around you. Then just apply it to your life, every moment, one drop at a time.

How to grow a tree of wisdom....

This is the method how you grow this tree to bear tasty fruits.

1. Before you plant the seed, you need to prepare the soil (fertile).

2. Then you need to water it well.

3. When the tree grows you have to clean the roots.

4. Then you have to remove the worms that may damage the tree.

5. Finally you have to remove the spider webs from the tree for it to grow to full potential and bear tasty fruits.


In the simile here: Preparing the soil is morality (Sila), watering is acquiring knowledge of Dhamma (Sutha), Cleaning the roots is discussing Dhamma and clearing doubts ( Dhamma sarkach-cha), Clearing the worms is breath meditation (Samatha) and suppressing the five hindrances, and finally removing spider webs is mindfulness meditation (vipassana).

This is taken from a sutta I have heard called, "Anngghita sutta.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.025.than.html
Note: I did not find the simile in the translation here...

Cutting the fetters that tie us down....

Dhamma teaches us the the path, that finally liberate us (Nirvana) from Samsara. This is our final goal! Fetters tie us down to the Samsara. Cutting the fetters off using the practice of Dhamma is the art of liberation.

Dhamma is like a "shap knife" for this purpose... But you need to grab it from the right end !

Like wind would leaves from a tree...

He has become calm and at rest, Wise in speech and not self-centered; He's shaken off unwholesome states — Like wind would leaves from a tree.

Sariputta Thera: Keeping the Wheel Rolling

translated from the Pali by

Andrew Olendzki

How to be FREE (from samsara)?

“When you see you only see, when you hear you only hear, when you taste you only taste, when you smell you only smell, when you feel (touch) you only feel, when mental objects arrive at the mind, they only arrive”…if you realize this as a direct knowledge, you are NOT HERE…if you are not here you are NOT THERE, if you are neither here or there, you are NOT IN-BETWEEN, you are then “FREE” (from this Samsara)- Buddha

The right technique will give results whether you wish or not ...

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a wet, sappy piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, & wrong concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are incapable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an inappropriate way of obtaining results.

"Suppose a man in need of fire, looking for fire, wandering in search of fire, would take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood. If he were to take a fire stick and rub it into a dry, sapless piece of wood even when having made a wish [for results]... having made no wish... both having made a wish and having made no wish... neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, he would be capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

"In the same way, any priests or contemplatives endowed with right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, & right concentration: If they follow the holy life even when having made a wish [for results], they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when both having made a wish and having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. If they follow the holy life even when neither having made a wish nor having made no wish, they are capable of obtaining results. Why is that? Because it is an appropriate way of obtaining results.

Bhumija Sutta: To Bhumija

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.126.than.html#butter1