Ajahn Lee Dhammadaro (Wat Asokaram)

Ajahn Lee Dhammadaro  (Wat Asokaram)

When we see good or bad sights with our eyes, we latch onto them. When we hear good or bad sounds with our ears, we latch onto them. When we smell good or bad odors, taste good or bad flavors, feel good or bad sensations, or think good or bad thoughts, we latch onto them—so we end up all encumbered with sights dangling from our eyes, sounds dangling from both of our ears, odors dangling from the tip of our nose, flavors dangling from the tip of our tongue, tactile sensations dangling all over our body, and thoughts dangling from our mind. This way, sights are sure to close off our eyes, sounds close off our ears, odors close off our nostrils, flavors close off our tongue, tactile sensations close off our body, and thoughts close off our mind. When our senses are completely closed off in this way, we’re in the dark—the darkness of unawareness—groping around without finding the right way, unable to go any way at all. Our body is weighed down and our mind is dark. This is called harming yourself, killing yourself, destroying your own chances for progress. 

Thoughts are addictive, and especially when they’re about things that are bad. We remember them long and think of them often. 

This is delusion, one of the camp-followers of unawareness. For this reason, we have to drive this kind of delusion from our hearts by making ourselves mindful and self-aware, fully alert with each in-and-out breath. This is what awareness comes from. When awareness arises, discernment arises as well. 

If awareness doesn’t arise, how will we be able to get rid of craving? When awareness arises, craving for sensuality, craving for possibilities, and craving for impossibilities will all stop, and attachment won’t exist.

Most of us tend to flow along in the direction of what’s bad more than in the direction of what’s good. When people try to convince us to do good, they have to give us lots of reasons, and even then we hardly budge. But if they try to talk us into doing bad, all they have to do is say one or two words and we’re already running with them. This is why the Buddha said, ‘People are foolish. They like to feed on bad preoccupations.’ And that’s not all. We even feed on things that have no truth to them at all. We can’t be bothered with thinking about good things, but we like to keep clambering after bad things, trying to remember them and keep them in mind. 

- Ajahn Lee Dhammadaro  (Wat Asokaram)

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13 October 2023