The Delusional Series
Compiled according to the teachings of the Master
Author: Fafu
The Delusional Series: Part 10 – 16 Inner Journey 1
The sentient beings in the Saha World, the Five Evil Worlds
Confidently believe in their false thinkings, follow up their feelings and rely on their impulses
Just for the illusory pleasures from Five Desires
They gain and lose in an illusory form, but they are attached：
In the tumultuous, ever-changing world of the five defilements, sentient beings, swayed by the winds of karma and afflictions, are known as the Saha world. What are sentient beings? They are those who live for sensations, diverse life forms driven by various cravings. Cravings for food, for shelter, for possessions, for people, for experiences – these desires are manifold. Some are rooted in love, in attachment, an insatiable desire for all things: food, clothing, men, women. Others stem from hatred, a constant aversion to everything. Why do these cravings arise? Because of dependence, longing, and a sense of necessity. These are all products of ceaseless conditioning.
These sentient beings, clinging tenaciously to their delusions, sensations, and impulses, toil tirelessly their entire lives for the fleeting pleasures derived from the illusory forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations that are but phantasmal manifestations of the impermanent. They labor ceaselessly to accumulate wealth for ephemeral pursuits of eating, drinking, and amusement, only to squander their hard-earned fortunes on alleviating the afflictions brought upon themselves by these very indulgences.
Like flies incessantly flitting from place to place, driven by scent and sight, in relentless pursuit of sustenance, or dogs perpetually with their noses to the ground, sniffing for scraps, these beings are mired in a life of base desires and servile existence. Extending this metaphor, they are engaged in a struggle for mere survival, enduring humiliations and burdens. Many, trapped in a cycle of seeking immediate gratification, compromise their principles to conform and survive. They bear the weight of shame and subservience, merely to secure a place in society. Such beings, who congregate in places where these behaviors are commonplace, are said to dwell in a “苟苟營,” a realm where delusions, sensations, and impulses drive them to chase after illusory pleasures, much like flies and dogs. Caught in a ceaseless cycle of gaining and losing, they perpetuate the very conditions of their suffering.
Each sentient being is endowed with the Buddha-nature, inherently possessing infinite spiritual powers. Yet, they are perpetually entangled in the net of desires, caught in a cycle of greed, miserliness, and selfish pursuits. These fleeting pleasures, akin to grasping at water, are illusory and ultimately unsatisfying. Despite their inherent nobility and potential, beings degrade themselves to the status of servants, wandering aimlessly.
Driven by delusions, sensations, and impulses, beings blindly follow their fleeting thoughts, fueled by greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt. These thoughts, intertwined and amplified, transport beings through time and space, creating elaborate fantasies. While engrossed in such thoughts, they become idle and oblivious to the dangers they pose. These delusions, if left unchecked, can lead to countless calamities, suffering, and ultimately, death.
False views are the result of ceaseless identification and cognition, born from the repeated effort of discerning and labeling. This persistent mental exertion, akin to straining one’s eyes, solidifies these views into deeply ingrained habitual patterns. Thus, false views are rooted in conditioning, which itself arises from the act of identification. This repetitive process of identification, or cognition, is the very essence of conditioning, solidifying these views into fixed mental formations.
