The Delusional Series: Part 13 – 43 Deaf and Blind 2

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The Delusional Series

Compiled according to the teachings of the Master

Author: Fafu

The Delusional Series: Part 13 – 43 Deaf and Blind 2

It is said that some beings are both blind and deaf, yet they insist on playing with fire and demanding coolness. This leaves the Buddha in a dilemma. To awaken these beings from the fiery afflictions, the Buddha must intervene. However, when the Buddha attempts to heal the blindness, the beings refuse, demanding to remain in their suffering. Similarly, when the Buddha tries to cure their deafness, they resist, insisting on staying in the fire. They crave both the fire and the coolness, demanding that the Buddha provide them with immediate gratification without any effort on their part.

Thus, the Buddha must endure the insults and misunderstandings of these beings. The blind claim that they cannot see the Buddha’s light, while the deaf insist that they have not been freed from the fire. These beings demand that the Buddha fulfill their desires, even if it means maintaining their afflictions. They want to attain enlightenment while clinging to their attachments, seeking to maintain their freedom to indulge in anger and greed.

Driven to desperation, the Buddha, with great forbearance and compassion, enters into the same suffering as these beings. If all else fails, He even pretends to be blind and deaf, accompanying them in their fiery afflictions. He declares, “How can you call me compassionate if I were to abandon you?” Such is the nature of sentient beings in the tumultuous world: they are constantly deluded. The blind insist on seeing the light, while the deaf demand to hear the Dharma. They claim, “If I haven’t heard it, it means you haven’t said it. If you say it, I will remember. If you don’t say it, I won’t know.” These beings are a source of great amusement, dwelling in the fires of desire and aversion while simultaneously seeking coolness. Ironically, they are unaware of their own foolishness.

As someone has aptly stated, people often harbor illusions of their own greatness. These notions are merely shadows of the past, remnants of past experiences and the praises of others. They are the products of one’s delusions, arising from the impressions left by the six senses. Without these past experiences, one would be unable to conceive of such grandiosity. All of our thoughts and imaginings are rooted in our sensory experiences.

Even though we are aware that our thoughts and imaginations are merely echoes of past experiences, we continue to attach ourselves to these fleeting mental constructs. These fleeting mental constructs, like dust particles swirling in the wind, are picked up and attached to the people we encounter. We project our past experiences onto others, labeling and judging them accordingly. We become trapped in this cycle of projection and imagination, constantly weaving new narratives based on our limited understanding. To fill in the gaps of our imagination, we often resort to emotional biases and prejudices. These biases color our perceptions and lead us to make sweeping generalizations about others, as if our own experiences were the sole measure of reality. For example, one might condemn the cuisine of Sichuan, Shanghai, or Guangdong, claiming that their tastes are inferior to one’s own. In this way, we perpetuate a cycle of judgment and intolerance, constantly seeking to reinforce our own limited worldview.

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