Delusion Series, Part 15 –Inner Journey2
Dear friends, hello everyone! Welcome to this episode of the podcast, brought to you by the Australia Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated.
Today, let us join hands to lift the veil of upside-down dreams and awaken to the inherently pure spirit.
1. Wrong Views Take Charge
Why do sentient beings remain trapped in suffering? The root lies in wrong views, ignorance, and delusion.
Wrong views arise from misguided conditioning and prejudiced perspectives, binding us to our self-centered understanding. Driven by these wrong views, habits of greed, anger, arrogance, and doubt emerge, dominating our thoughts and actions.
We chase the illusory pleasures of the five desires—form, sound, smell, taste, and touch—indulging in eating, drinking, and entertainment, unaware that these are all delusions born of conditioning.
Consider this: We spend money on preferred foods, only to suffer illness from imbalanced nutrition; we buy expensive animal fur clothing, only to create negative karma with these beings; we purchase luxurious homes, only to suffer from radiation pollution, hastening the decline of life. For the sake of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, we endure hardship, toil to exhaustion, and even die in the process, all while abandoning the divine abilities and freedom we inherently possess.
All of this stems from wrong views taking charge, leading greed, anger, arrogance, and doubt to drive us relentlessly. Our thoughts leap chaotically, our words and actions spiral out of control, and ultimately, we ruin and destroy ourselves.
2. Delusions, Sensations, and Impulses Weave Together
Every day, we mistakenly believe that delusions, sensations, and impulses are our true selves, even treating them as masters and following them to the end.
In truth, delusions are merely fragments of past experiences, weaving chaotically in our minds. Without memory, where would delusions come from? And this weaving brings only harm, no benefit.
Consider this: All sensations are illusions. Everything perceived by our six senses in response to the six objects of perception is defined by our cognition as good or bad, yet we fail to realize this is merely a mirage created by conditioning, a shadow cast by the spirit.
And what of impulses? They are a driving force, born from past conditioning of wrong views, combined with afflictions, and fueled by the inherent power of our spirit, creating an irresistible urge.
Greed arises from conditioning, believing that what is good must be possessed. With repeated conditioning, it becomes a habitual tendency. Without greed, where would anger come from? When desires are thwarted, anger arises. Without greed, where would arrogance come from? We elevate ourselves, craving respect. Without greed, where would doubt come from? Suspicion and paranoia arise to protect our greed.
Thus, greed, anger, arrogance, and doubt arise together. Sentient beings script, direct, and star in their own dramas, becoming so immersed that they fabricate chaotic stories. Sometimes greed takes the lead, supported by anger, arrogance, and doubt; other times, doubt takes center stage, mixed with greed and anger. We are the writers, directors, and stars, even playing supporting roles, crossing time and space, taking on minor parts, losing right mindfulness, overstepping boundaries, and endlessly enacting a tangled web of illusions.
3. The Buddha Appears in the World
However, the Buddha comes into this world, revealing the wisdom and vision of the awakened, guiding sentient beings to enter ultimate wisdom. The Buddha’s radiant wisdom shatters the ignorance and afflictions of beings, dispelling the darkness of self-righteous delusion.
To awaken those who, like moths to a flame, chase bright, warm, and comfortable illusions, the Buddha, adorned with the 32 great armors, comes to this Saha world. With patience and gentleness, he employs generosity, loving speech, beneficial actions, and cooperation to embrace and awaken beings, helping them break free from upside-down dreams.
Conclusion
Dear friends, imagination requires the material of past experiences, but no matter how it is woven, it remains false. We follow this delusion, thinking it is our own thoughts, unaware that all we think is upside-down. No matter how we collect and weave these illusory shadows, they remain false. Only by relying on the Buddha’s wisdom, realizing that all is an illusory function, can we find coolness and clarity in the present moment.
Thank you, everyone! May you soon awaken and be free from suffering, attaining true joy!
