Instructor: Bennie Spirit
Based on the teachings of my revered master in response to a fellow practitioner Cinderella’s inquiry, I, Lotus, have composed this essay under the guidance of Mentor Bennie.
All sentient beings are deeply ensnared in the realm of delusion. But what exactly is delusion? It is fundamentally rooted in the memories formed through the interaction of the six sense faculties with the six sense objects. These memories encompass what the eyes see, the ears hear, the body touches, and all other experiences, which are stored in the eighth consciousness. Interwoven with greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt, these memories give rise to endless streams of thoughts.
From childhood, adults guide us in weaving these thoughts, and teachers instruct us in creative composition. Starting with simple sentence construction—skillfully incorporating specific words to ensure harmony and coherence—we progress to writing diaries and composing essays on various topics, all inseparable from the act of creation. Under the guidance of adults and teachers, we weave day after day, gradually reaching a state of effortless proficiency. At this point, delusion operates automatically, without deliberate guidance. It lacks a clear theme or central focus, driven solely by momentary feelings. For instance, seeing one person might instantly trigger thoughts of another, followed by a cascade of related images and memories, seamlessly woven into the current stream of thought, forming a unique mental picture. If someone is deemed “despicable,” their every fault may be meticulously conjured, even linked to past experiences—some of which may not have actually occurred but are fabricated in the mind. This is the essence of deluded thinking, a pure act of weaving. During this process, delusion can shift direction at will, change protagonists, or connect unrelated things, disregarding logic or causality, guided only by personal preferences and priorities. If the thoughts align with one’s desires, joy arises; if not, anger flares, potentially leading to schemes for retaliation to vent one’s frustration.
Why, then, does delusion rarely align with reality? Consider the example of an orange. On the surface, everyone seems to enjoy oranges, but closer examination reveals varied preferences: some favor the peel, others crave its sweetness, while some prefer its tartness. Even the degree of sweetness or sourness desired differs—some like a mild sweetness, others demand a more intense flavor. Preferences for sweetness or sourness vary widely, as do opinions on the medicinal properties of the peel or its processing methods. Thus, though it is the same orange, people’s preferences diverge significantly, making absolute consensus impossible. This is the result of conditioning. Parental guidance, teachers’ instruction, societal influences, and personal effort in practice shape the consciousness through repeated conditioning, forming a fixed “knowing.” Once this knowing is established, it becomes unshakable. Only when the power of awakening surpasses this consciousness can this pattern be reversed.
What are the consequences of delusion? For students, if they indulge in weaving delusions, even with eyes wide open watching the teacher at the blackboard and ears attentively listening, their consciousness is busy crafting its own story, inevitably preventing them from absorbing knowledge and hindering academic success. For workers, if they indulge in delusion during tasks, their work suffers. For example, while typing data, simultaneous daydreaming can lead to errors, lowering efficiency and stunting career progress. In daily life, if one neglects cooking, laundry, cleaning, or childcare in favor of delusion, the household falls into disarray. When both partners are lost in their own delusions, the relationship deteriorates, and life inevitably heads toward failure.
Knowing the harms of delusion, how should we respond? We must not confront it directly. Why? Because delusion is not a tangible entity and cannot be fought. Even if a person’s body were reduced to mincemeat, the consciousness would remain unscathed, continuing to weave its stories. Delusion does not depend on the physical body, so no extreme measures can eradicate it. The wise approach is to train ourselves as we have trained delusion. For example, we can train ourselves to align every word and action precisely with the Ten Wholesome Deeds, creating a glorious future, even aspiring toward the ideal of a Wheel-Turning Sage King, while remaining ever vigilant. This means repeatedly training ourselves to think, speak, and act in accordance with precepts and rules. By doing so, we continuously nurture these precepts, allowing them to grow stronger. The weaving consciousness requires energy and fuel to keep running. If we cease providing it with energy and focus instead on cultivating precepts, when the precepts have grown robust, we may look back and find that delusion, deprived of energy, has quietly ceased. By focusing solely on nurturing precepts and advancing along this path, delusion—lacking substance or foundation—eventually fades away. This baseless delusion, which causes endless confusion, destroys great opportunities, and leads to failure in career, studies, and life, is ultimately powerless.
To cultivate concentration, we must wholeheartedly guard the point that should be guarded, preserving the true and constant. By continuously nurturing and protecting it, sustaining it with energy and effort, the unchanging light of constancy will eventually manifest. At that moment, the afflictions, habitual tendencies, karmic obstacles, and karmic consequences arising from the six sense faculties will begin to fall away. As we progress, these negative factors will drop off piece by piece. Ultimately, we will realize a pure self, and the whereabouts of those negative factors will no longer concern us, for we will have traveled far. Thus, we can attain supreme enlightenment. Though it seems difficult, it is simple in essence—requiring only firm resolve and consistent action.
In summary, delusion is a consciousness woven from memories of the six sense faculties interacting with the six sense objects, intertwined with greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt. It rarely aligns with reality and brings about numerous failures. The solution lies in training ourselves as we have trained delusion, acting in accordance with the Ten Wholesome Deeds, not confronting delusion directly, cultivating the constant light, and attaining true awakening. Only thus can we break free from the shackles of delusion and advance toward a radiant future.
April 26, 2025