From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FNsq_VPh0c8

Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.

[Music]

that's what I heard on one occasion the

blessed one was living in Swati and

jeta's grove anathapindika's park then

when it was morning a number of monks

dressed and taking their bowl and outer

robes went into Swati for alms then they

thought it's still too early to wander

for alms and so OTT II suppose we went

to a park of the Wanderers of other

sects so they went to the park of

wanders of other sects and exchanged

greetings with the Wanderers when this

courteous and amiable talk was finished

they sat down at one side the Wanderers

said this to them friend the recluse

Gautama describes the full understanding

of sensual pleasures and we do so to the

recluse Gautama describes the full

understanding of material form and we do

so to the recluse Gautama describes the

full understanding of feelings and we do

so too what then is the distinction here

what is the variance what is the

difference between the recluse goats was

teaching of the Dhamma an hour's between

his instructions and hours then those

monks

[Applause]

and those monks neither approve nor

disapproved of The Wanderers words

without doing either they rose from

their seat and went away thinking we

shall come to understand the meaning of

these words in the Blessed ones presence

I imagine that was fairly frustrating

for the people asking the questions when

they had wandered for alms in Swati and

had returned from their arms round after

the meal they went to the Blessed One

after paying homage to him they sat down

one side and told him all it had taken

place the Blessed One said monks

Wanderers of other sects who speak thus

should be questioned thus but Friends

what is gratification what is the danger

what is the escape in in the case of

sensual pleasures what is the

gratification what is the danger and

what is the escape in the case of

material forms what is the gratification

what is the danger and what is the

escape in the case of feelings being

questioned thus Wanderers of other sects

will fail to account for that for the

matter and what is more they will get

into difficulties why is that because it

is not in their province monks I see no

one in the world with its gods its

Mara's and its Brahmas and

generation with its recluses and

brahmins with his princes and his people

who could satisfy the mind with a reply

to those questions except for the Tatar

gata or his disciple or one who has

learned from them and what friends is

the gratification in the case of sensual

pleasures there are these five cords of

sensual pleasure what are the five forms

cognizable through the eye that are

wished for desired agreeable and

likeable connected with sensual desire

and inviting lust sounds cognizable by

the year that are wished or desire

agreeable and likable connected with

sensual desire and inviting lust odors

cognizable by the moment by the nose

that are wished for desired agreeable

and likeable connected with sensual

desire and inviting lust flavors

cognizable by the tongue that are wished

for desired agreeable and likeable

connected with sensual desire and

inviting lust tangibles cognizable by

the body that are wished for desired

Brya boleyn likable connected with

sensual desire and inviting lust these

are the five cords of sensual pleasure

now the pleasure enjoy that arise

dependent on these five cords of sensual

pleasure are the gratification in the

case of sensual pleasures

and what monk is the danger in the case

of sensual pleasures here monks on

account of the craft by which plans men

make a living whether checking or

accounting or calculating or farming or

trading or husband tree or archery or

the Royal service or whatever craft it

may be he has to face cold he has to

face heat he is injured by contact with

gadfly's mosquitoes wind Sun and

creeping things he risk death by hunger

and thirst now this is the danger in the

case of sensual pleasures a mass of

suffering visible here and now having

sensual pleasures as its cause

sensual pleasures as its source sensual

pleasures as its basis that cause being

simply sensual pleasures with no

property comes to the point if no

property comes to the clansmen while he

works and strives and makes an effort

thus he sorrows grieves and laments

weeps beating his breast and becomes

distraught crying my work is in vain my

effort is fruitless now this too is a

danger in the case of sensual pleasures

a mass of suffering visible here and now

the cause being simply sensual pleasures

if property comes to the clansmen while

he works and strives and makes an effort

thus it experiences pain and grief in

protecting it how shall excuse me how

shall neither Kings nor thieves make off

with my property or burned or nor fire

burn it nor waters sweep it away nor

hateful heirs make off with it and as he

guards and protects his property kings

are thieves make off with it or fire

burns it or water sweeps it away or

hateful airs come and make off with it

and he sorrows grieves and laments he

weeps beating his breast and becomes

distraught crying what I had I have no

longer now

this too is a danger in the case of

sensual pleasures a mass of suffering

visible here and now the cause being

simply sensual pleasures again sensual

pleasures as the cause sensual pleasures

as the source sensual pleasures as the

basis the cause being simply sensual

pleasures Kings quarrel with Queen Kings

nobles Brahmins

nobles with nobles brahmanas with

Brahmans householders with householders

mother quarrel with son son with mother

father with

son was father brother quarrels with

brother brother and sister sister with

brother friend with friend and here in

their quarrels brawls and dispute they

attack each other with this clawed

sticks or knifes whereby they incur

death or deadly suffering now this too

is a danger in the case of sensual

pleasures a massive suffering here and

now and because being then the cause

simply being sensual pleasures again

with sensual pleasures as the cause men

takes swords and shields and buckles on

boat and buckle on bows and Quivers and

they charge into battle mast in a double

array of arrows and spears flying and

swords flashing and there they are

wounded by arrows and Spears and their

heads are cut off by swords whereby they

incur death or deadly suffering now this

too is a danger in the case of sensual

pleasure a mass of suffering here and

now the cause being simply sensual

pleasures again with sensual pleasures

as because men take swords and shields

and buckle on bows and arrows and they

charge slippery bastions with arrows and

Spears flying and sword slashing and

there they are wounded by arrows

spears and slashed with boiling liquids

and crushed with heavy weights and their

heads are cut off by swords hereby they

incur death or deadly suffering now this

too is a danger in the case of sensual

pleasures a mass of suffering here and

now the cause being simply sensual

pleasures again with sensual pleasures

as the cause men break into houses

plunder wealth commit burglary ambush

highways seduce others wives and when

they're caught kings have many kinds of

torture inflicted on them the kings have

them flogged with whips beaten with

canes beaten with clubs they have their

hands cut off their feet cut off their

hands and feet cut off their ears cut

off their nose cut off their ears and

nose cut off they have them subjected to

porridge pot to polish shell shaving

that's when they take the skin off of

the shell porridge pot is being boiled

basically to Rahu's mouth Rahu's mouth

is hot boiling lead poured into the

mouth

to the fiery wealth to the flaming and

to the blaze of grass where they had to

hold a lump of grass to the bark dress

and they put metal things in and then

make them wear the dress wherever they

wouldn't whenever it moves it just cuts

their body if you if you want to find

out about how to do torture you always

go to the the holy books to the Antelope

I'm not sure what that is to the meat

hooks to red-hot coins to lie pickling

through the pivoting pin to the

rolled-up Ballet's I'm not sure what

that is either

and they have them splashed with boiling

oil and they have they throw down them

down to be devoured by dogs they have

them impaled alive on steaks and they

have their heads cut off with swords

whereby they incur death or deadly

suffering now this too is a danger in

the case of sensual pleasures you would

think so a massive suffering here and

now the cause being simply sensual

pleasures again with sensual pleasures

as the cause sensual pleasures as the

source sensual pleasures as the basis

the cause being sensual pleasures people

indulge in misconduct of body speech and

mind having done so on a Desilu

of the body after death they reappear in

a state of deprivation in an unhappy

destination even in hell now this is a

danger in the case of sensual pleasures

a massive suffering in the life to come

having sensual pleasures as its colors

as of cause sensual pleasures as its

source sensual pleasures as this basis

the cause simply being sensual pleasures

and what monks is the escape in the case

of sensual pleasures it is the removal

of desire and lust the abandonment of

desire and less for sensual pleasures

this is the escape in the case of

sensual pleasures that these that those

recluses and brahmins who do not

understand as it actually is the

gratification as gratification the

danger is danger and the escape as

escape in the case of sensual pleasures

can neither themselves fully understand

sensual pleasures or instruct another so

you can fully understand sensual

pleasures that is impossible that those

recluses and brahmins who understand as

it actually is the gratification as

gratification the danger is danger and

the escape as escape in the case of

sensual pleasures can either them

themselves fully understand sensual

pleasures or instruct another so he can

fully understand

sensual pleasures that is possible and

what monks is the gratification in the

case of material form suppose there were

a girl of noble class or a Brahman class

or a householder stock or in her 15th or

16th year neither too tall nor too short

neither too thin nor too fat neither too

dark nor too fair is her beauty and

loveliness then at its height yes then

our whisper now pleasure in joy that

arises in dependence on the beauty and

loveliness are the gratification in this

case of material form and what month is

a danger in the case of material form

later one on one might see that same

woman here at eighty ninety or a hundred

years aged as crooked as a roof

bracketed doubled up supported by by a

walking stick tottering frail her youth

gone her teeth broken gray-haired scanty

hair bald wrinkled with limbs all

blotchy what do you think monks as her

former beauty and loveliness vanished

and the danger become evident so that

the thing is don't get old

yes venerable sir monks this is a danger

in the case of material form again one

might see that same woman afflicted and

suffering and gravely ill lying fouled

in her own urine and excrement lifted up

by some and set down by others what do

you think monks has her former beauty

and loveliness vanished and the danger

become evident

yes venerable sir monks this too is a

danger in material form again one might

see that same woman as a corpse thrown

aside in the journal ground one two or

three days dead bloated livid boozing

matter now this really sounds disgusting

but that's what's going to happen with

your body except we eat so many

preservatives these days that it takes a

lot longer for that to happen what do

you think monks has her former beauty

and loveliness vanished and the danger

become evident yes venerable sir monks

this too is a danger in the case of

material form

again one might see that same woman as a

corpse thrown aside in the journal

ground being devoured by crows hawks

vultures dogs jackals and various kinds

of worms a skeleton with flesh and blood

held together with sinew

a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood

held together with senior a skeleton

without flesh and blood held together

with sinew connected bones scattered in

all directions here a hand bone the bare

a foot bone there the thigh bone there a

rib bone here a hip bone there a back

bone here a skull bones bleached white

the color of shells bones heaped up

bones more than a year old rotted and

crumbled into the dust what do you think

monks has her former beauty and

loveliness vanished and the danger

become evident yes venerable sir monks

this too is a danger in the case of

material form and what monks is the

escape in the case of material form it

is the removal of lust and

desire the abandonment of desire and

lust for material things this is the

escape in the case of material form that

those recluses and brahmins who do not

understand as it actually is the

gratification as gratification the

danger is danger and the escape as

escape in the case of material form can

neither themselves fully understand

material form or instruct another so he

can be fully so he can fully understand

material form that is impossible that

those recluses and brahmins who

understand as it actually is a

gratification the danger as danger in

the escape as escape of material form

can neither themselves fully end can

either themselves fully understand

material form or instruct another to do

so that is possible feelings and what

monks is a gratification in the case of

feelings here monks quite secluded from

sensual pleasures secluded from

unwholesome states a monk enters upon

and abides in the first jhana which is

accompany by thinking and examining

thought was joy and happiness born of

seclusion on such an occasion he does

not choose for his own affliction or for

another's affliction or for the

affliction of both on that

he feels only feeling that is free from

affliction the highest gratification in

the case of feelings is freedom from

affliction I say again with the stilling

of thinking and examining thought a monk

enters upon and abides in the second

jhana with the fading away of joy enters

upon and abides in the third jhana with

the abandoning of pleasure and being he

enters upon and abides in the fourth

jhana on account of which he does not

choose for his own affliction or for

another's of licken or the affliction of

both on that occasion he feels only

feeling that is free from affliction the

highest gratitude gratification in the

case of feelings is freedom from

affliction that's a really good point to

make because not all joyful things are

unwholesome as he we went through

a lot of austerities and these kind of

things the Buddha went through and the

reason that he was going through those

austerities because he was afraid of

getting attached to the relief the joy

and when he sat down on the night of his

awakening he got into the first jhana

and realized that all joy has attachment

to it and it's okay it's wholesome it's

fine to have that kind of joy arise for

right now what's happening in a lot of

Buddhist communities is they're focusing

so evalee on suffering and they're

afraid of joy coming up that they really

don't understand the Buddha's teaching

very well

yeah any kind of attachment it that is

an affliction so when I was doing

straight to Bosnia and Burma I had any

joy come up and I go and tell the

teacher about it the first thing they

said was don't get it attached which to

me said who said joy away stop the joy

from coming up and that's a mistake

that's why I try to get you to be happy

smile because joy is a good thing unless

you try to hold on to it all the time if

you try to make it be there when it's

not there you're going to cause yourself

suffering but when you allow joy to be

it's a very pleasant experience when

you're smiling more and you're smiling

all the time joy will come up by itself

allow it to be there you treat it the

same as a painful feeling right it

doesn't matter whether it's there or not

let it be there by itself it's much

easier to endure than it is a painful

feeling for sure that's why we get

attached to it what I want to keep that

joy going I like that well that's a kind

of sensual pleasure isn't it and look at

what kind of dangers you get into with

sensual pleasures your your job is to

develop equanimity

doesn't matter whether the joy is there

you can you can enjoy it while it's

there but don't hold on to it yes that's

nice

good okay but when a painful feeling

comes up that has to be good that has to

be nice the same going different sites

but it's real easy to get attached to

the dislike of that to the aversion of

that to the repulsive nature of painful

feeling we try to run away from painful

feeling as much as we can and that just

causes more and more suffering well you

start liking it too much it's just a

feeling what do you do with any feeling

that arises right after that feeling

arises what price is right after that

and the grazing is the start of the

problems when you start taking it

personally it's okay for joy to be there

just like it has to be okay for pain to

be there it has to be okay because

that's the truth when it's there it's

there as you allow that pain to be there

by itself and relax into it and don't

keep your attention on it that means

don't get involved with the story of it

just notice that that pain is there okay

fine it's there allow it to be

the highest gratification in the case of

feelings is freedom from affliction when

you're in jhana there is no affliction

there is no distraction your mind

becomes very balanced and at ease and

that's the advantage of practicing twin

that's the advantage of practicing this

exertion

but it's not a magic bullet it's not

going to make it go away with one or two

letting it be if your attachment is

strong it's going to keep coming back

again what is the cause of this kind of

attachment always it doesn't matter what

arises the attachment is always I am I

want I don't want and it gets to be very

subtle sometimes it can be incredibly

subtle and there's tension and tightness

that you don't really notice so much but

as your mindfulness improves you go

deeper into your meditation you stay

with your object to meditation for

longer periods of time that's where your

mind is pure

that's where your mind has no affliction

in it when your mindfulness slips

affliction comes and the affliction is

always I am that and this is caused from

past actions and these past actions will

come up because you broke the precept

and breaking the precept means that you

did something to make your mind feel

guilty you killed some beings you took

something that wasn't given you have

wrong sexual activity which is it

doesn't mean you have to be celibate it

means that you have to follow the the

laws of the land now in Muslim countries

they're allowed to have four wives

although I don't know why anybody would

want four wives but that's just my

personal well they don't they don't do

it that way and but there are places in

India where a woman can come into a

family that has five or six brothers and

she marries all of them so that she's

always available as it were

but I've often wondered about that but

it's it's mostly because men are so much

real they can allow that sort of thing

to happen but it makes more sense anyway

not having sexual activity with somebody

else's mate

not having sexual activity with somebody

is too young not having sexual activity

that causes pain to arise in anyone so

and then we come to speech which is

probably the biggest and the hardest one

to master not saying something that's

not true trying to fool people cursing I

get real tired of listening to the

cursing that happens and in I was

absolutely shocked when I came back from

Asia after 12 years listening to the

radio and the cursing that was going on

there and then watching television in

the foul language that's creeping in

more and more and more they think it's

cute that it's really offensive

[Music]

forgive yourself for doing it all but

you have the guilty feeling don't you

you don't want that coming up and

disturbing you during your meditation so

forgive yourself for doing it make a

determination not to do it again and

continue on

it's way down played the precepts in

this country and it's because of there's

some religions that they really need you

to feel guilty so that you can start

paying your penance and the people with

the priests that are that have the

direct phone to God can clear it for you

well part of forgiveness is letting go

of your secrets okay

one of the definitions of a Nara hat is

someone that has no more secrets so

letting go of your secrets for your in

yourself or telling somebody else of the

secrets that you have it's no longer a

secret I did this I did that when I was

a young boy I told a lie to my mom and I

felt really guilty after that I carried

that guilt around for years until I

finally started realizing that that

attachment was causing a lot of

suffering and as soon as I told somebody

else about it which was a very hard

thing to do but when you do there's real

relief so the the important part of

forgiveness is learning how to let go of

those secrets so that they don't upset

you anymore

and you don't identify with the grief of

going through that and taking it

personally

and what Mugsy escaped in the case of

feelings it is the removal of desire and

lust I am I want the abandonment of

desire and lust for feeling certain

feelings to come up this is the escape

in the case of feelings that those

recluses and brahmins who do not

understand it as it actually is the

gratification as gratification the

danger is danger in the escape as escape

in case of feeling can neither

themselves fully understand feelings nor

instruct another's so that they can

understand that that those recluses and

brahmins who understand actually the

gratification the danger and the escape

in the case of feelings they can fully

understand feelings and instruct others

so they can fully understand it that's

what the Blessed One said the monks were

satisfied and delighted in the Blessed

ones words

the whole point of learning the brahma

vihara z' is to have an open heart it

can't be completely open until you have

let go of some of the old attachments

some of the old fears some of the old

anxieties some of the old dislikes and

it can be surprising some of the things

that can come up but you have to allow

it relax

smile

come back and do it some more

forgiving

okay

okay why don't we share some merit may

suffering ones be suffering free and the

fear stress fear this be may the

grieving shadow grief and may all beings

angry thief male being shared as merit

that we've thus acquired for the

acquisition of all kinds of happiness

may beings inhabiting space and nurse

Davison Nagas a mighty power share this

merit of ours may they long protect the

Buddhist dispensation Sode Sode

you