The Light of Awareness——22

Delusion Series, Part 22–Seeing Through Delusion

Dear Dharma friends,Welcome to this episode of the podcast, brought to you by the Australia Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated.

Today, I’d like to talk about the wisdom of seeing through delusion. Delusion is like an inner “headquarters” in each of us, constantly weaving stories that shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions. It seems intangible, yet it can derail our lives and bring suffering. By calmly observing and understanding it, we can break free from its grip. In this episode, I’ll share insights on how delusion operates, its dangers, and how to recognize and transcend it in three key aspects.

I. How Delusion Operates: The Invisible Scriptwriter

What is delusion? It’s like a hidden scriptwriter that effortlessly spins countless stories in our minds. With astonishing speed, it processes emotional “intelligence” like greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt, turning them into scripts that guide our words and deeds. For example, imagine you want a piece of cake, but someone else takes it. Your inner “scouts” immediately relay this to the delusion “headquarters.” Delusion reacts swiftly: “That’s mine! How dare they take it?” Anger flares up, your tone, expressions, and actions shift, and you might even start an argument. All this happens faster than the internet, more efficient than the most advanced AI!

Delusion’s power lies in its ability to rearrange familiar things, like puzzle pieces, into seemingly logical but misleading stories. It makes our emotions fluctuate, wasting time and energy in pointless fantasies. Worst of all, we often don’t realize it, mistaking these thoughts for “us” and following them blindly, forgetting our true selves.

II. The Dangers of Delusion: The Root of Self-Destruction

Delusion isn’t just idle thoughts—it’s the root of all our troubles, an invisible saboteur of our lives. For students, it distracts you, hindering your studies. For workers, it lowers efficiency, causing missed opportunities. In family life, it sparks conflicts, shattering harmony. It always obstructs what you should be doing, pulling you off the right path.

On a deeper level, delusion traps us in “imagining outcomes without causes.” It lures us into fantasizing about results without encouraging action. For instance, you dream of success but get lost in fantasies, missing the chance to act. Time passes, and you’re left with nothing. Delusion also causes emotional rollercoasters—excitement one moment, despair the next—draining your energy, only to realize it was all for nothing. Worse, these mood swings strain relationships, making loved ones uneasy or even distant.

Delusion is like a cunning strategist, directing us to destroy our own merits, wisdom, and abilities. Yet we remain unaware, even believing it’s normal. That’s its true danger—it leads us to self-destruction while we think we’re chasing happiness.

III. Recognizing and Transcending: The Path of Observing Delusion

How do we counter such a cunning foe? The answer is simple yet profound: observe it, understand it, but don’t follow it. This is a straightforward yet vital path of practice, requiring no external tools—just a mindful heart.

1. Initial Stage: Observe Lightly, Keep Your Distance

First, learn to observe delusion gently, like watching a play. Don’t stare too hard or try to suppress it; just notice what it’s doing with a subtle awareness. When it weaves a story, you can watch, but don’t get absorbed. Remember, you’re the observer, and delusion is the performer. You might give it a starting point to spin its tale, but always maintain a balanced distance—neither too close nor too far.

During this process, pause to reflect: What did it just weave? How did it combine these thoughts? Where did they come from? Through these reflections, you’ll see that delusion is illusory, merely stitching together known information into seemingly real stories. At this stage, focus on understanding its mechanics. Don’t compete with it—it’s too fast, and you can’t outpace it. But by simply observing, no matter how fast it moves, it can’t outrun your awareness.

2. Middle Stage: Discern Outcomes, Recognize Harm

Once you’re familiar with delusion’s workings, move to the middle stage—analyzing its outcomes. Each time delusion beckons, ask: What happens if I follow it? For example, craving a snack leads to anger, anger leads to arguments, and arguments cost you friendships or tarnish your reputation. You’ll see that every step delusion takes leads to suffering, eroding your good connections and wisdom.

Through this observation, delusion’s harm becomes clearer. It wastes time, stirs emotional turmoil, ruins relationships, and pulls you away from true happiness. Seeing these consequences, you’ll grow weary of delusion and become less willing to follow it.

3. Final Stage: See Through Delusion, Achieve Liberation

With sustained observation and reflection, you’ll reach the final stage—fully seeing through delusion. You’ll know exactly how each move it makes harms you and that its every action leads only to pain, not joy. At this point, even if offered a fortune to follow delusion for a day, you’d refuse, because you understand its nature too well.

This is what the Buddha called “knowing the truth of suffering and joy.” Delusion brings only suffering, while true joy comes from living by principles: students study diligently, workers focus on their tasks, and families nurture harmony. When you stop “fueling” delusion, its “headquarters” collapses from lack of energy. Ultimately, you’ll see delusion as fleeting clouds—arising and dissolving, unable to truly harm you.

IV. Conclusion

Dear friends, the Buddha taught that all beings possess the wisdom and virtues of a Buddha, obscured only by delusion and attachment. Delusion is the root of our troubles, but it’s also a gateway to awakening. By observing and understanding its illusory nature and harms, we walk the path to liberation. This process requires no external seeking—just a mindful heart, gently watching and deeply realizing. This is practice; this is the essence of the Dharma—pointing directly to the root, awakening in the present moment!

Thank you for listening. See you in the next episode!