Why the Monkeys Washed out Their Ears
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C00898
“Can you explain your own experience of ‘not-me’? Or is it an inference you have deduced from your experience of ‘not mine’?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
After we have practiced ānāpānasati well enough, we have the experience that all things are impermanent, have the inherent quality of dukkha, and are not-self. We see that every time there is the experience or feeling of self, that dukkha bites us. Seeing this, we live carefully, mindfully, not giving any opportunity for this feeling or experience of self to happen, so that it can’t bite us. But even if sometimes we slip, are a little careless, or make a mistake, we’re still smarter than we were before and so there is less dukkha to bite this self which is not-self.
Whenever we are careless and think or experience self, then life bites. Life is changed into a situation of biting and life bites its owner. Remember the different symptoms of life biting its owner that we mentioned earlier. Sometimes love bites, sometimes anger bites, sometimes hatred bites, sometimes fear bites, sometimes worry bites, sometimes worrying about the future or longing after the past bites, jealousy bites, envy bites, possessiveness bites. When some negative experience happens, we don’t want it to happen, we want to get rid of it, and that aversion bites. Positive experience happens, we want it, we desire it, and that wanting and desire bites. If we understand this then there is a technique, a principle, or a method to not let the self arise when we make contact with positive and negative experiences. Then these positive and negative experiences don’t bite and life doesn’t bite its owner. There’s a way to do this if we are careful.
(From the retreat “Why the Monkeys Washed out Their Ears,” as translated from the Thai by Santikaro)
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Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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