Is delusion caused by the presence of neutral feelings?

Question:  Is delusion caused by the presence of neutral feelings?

Than Ajahn:  No, delusion is not understanding the nature of feelings, that feelings come and go, they change from good to bad to neutral. These are the nature of feelings. They are not under your control. If you try to control them by going after them, you can become disappointed. You can become sad or unhappy. 

If you don’t want to become sad or disappointed, you just leave feelings alone. Let them come and go on their own. Just entertain them by accepting them when they come, be it good or bad feelings. Just know that they are like your customers. When you run a shop, sometimes you’ll have good customers come to your shop, sometimes you’ll have bad customers and sometimes you’ll have neutral customers. You have to entertain all of them. You have to welcome them because you need their money. 

It’s the same way with feelings. Once you have the body, the body will generate these three feelings. The only thing you can do is to accept them as they come. Then, your mind will be calm and peaceful. If you start to become discriminatory, your mind can become restless and agitated. Your mind becomes unhappy when it has to face the feelings it doesn’t like such as the bad feelings. When it wants good feelings and it cannot that get good feelings, it becomes unhappy. 

So, the best thing for the mind to deal with feelings is to welcome them as they come. Good feelings, welcome them. Bad feelings, welcome them. Not good and not bad feelings, welcome them. Then, the mind will always be peaceful and happy. 

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Question: Is delusion connected to the craving for sensual pleasures?  

Than Ajahn:  Delusion is the cause of craving. Delusion is not knowing that craving for sensual pleasures is more harmful than helpful in finding happiness. Delusion thinks that craving for sensual pleasures is beneficial. Delusion thinks that craving is good for the mind because it brings happiness to the mind. But, the happiness from sensual pleasure is temporary happiness. Once it fades away, bad feelings come. 

A wise person will see that craving for sensual pleasures is harmful to the mind because the pleasure he gets is temporary. Sooner or later, that happiness will disappear. When it disappears, what he will get is bad feelings, dissatisfaction or sadness. So, it’s better not to crave for anything because everything you crave for is impermanent. You can only have it briefly. After that, it disappears and it leaves you with empty and sad feeling.

Dhamma in English, Sep 19, 2018.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

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