Dharma analogies

• An Eternal Now

  19 Nov 11, 13:31

  Some analogies that came up in my mind.
  
  Please comment, or share if you have come up with analogies of your own for the dharma.
                              
  
  The Thorn
                              
  
  Imagine a thorn got stuck inside your skin. Seeing in plain sight the thorn under the skin, clearly comprehending the danger and pain that the thorn can cause if it were not removed, you would do your best using all ways possible to get the thorn out of the skin. You would not stop even if the process of removing the thorn was difficult, painful, or even cause bleeding. You understand that the short period of pain is definitely better than a long period of pain (常痛�如短痛), and that the removal of that thorn would be of long-term benefit to yourself. The non-removal of that thorn would however bring long-term pain and suffering with no end in sight.
                              
  The same is with afflictions and suffering. The thorn is the afflictions and defilements deeply imprinted in our consciousness/psyche. What are they? The three poisons of craving, aversion, and ignorance. They are like thorns that got stuck inside your skin. But unlike physical thorns, the thorns of afflictions are more subtle and sometimes we get so lost in them that we fail to see their underlying dangers. Those afflictions ensure that we are trapped in suffering, the endless cycle of samsara, and eventually rebirth in the lower realms. Because sentient beings, muddled in vision, unable to clearly comprehend and see the dangers and enormous and infinitely vast suffering that these afflictions can cause in this life and all future lives, continue to delight in short term pleasures, continue to entertain craving, aversion, ignorance and the poisons, never seeking an end to their afflictive condition.
  
  For one who is trained and with little dust in their eyes see in plain sight the thorn (afflictions) under the skin, clearly comprehending the danger and pain that the afflictions can cause if it were not removed, you would do your best using all ways possible to get the thorn out of the skin. You would not stop even if the process of removing the thorn was difficult or requiring much effort. You understand that the relatively short period (even though while from the small perspective of our short human life it would seem an enormously long undertaking) of persistent effort required to attain liberation would be fruitful, and that the removal of those afflictions would be of eternal-lasting benefit. The non-removal of that thorn of affliction would however bring long-term pain and suffering with no end in sight: for samsara has went on without beginning, it could very go on without an end in sight.
                              
  I trust that Buddhists who read this will see without dusty eyes, their own condition, and act appropriately. Do not waste this rare human life and opportunity to practice the dharma. Time is slipping by. Arouse persistence and practice mindfulness like your head is on fire.

• An Eternal Now

  19 Nov 11, 13:34

  A Race Against Time Have you ever experienced a race against time? You really need to get something done, but time is really running out. You felt this intense sense or urgency and put an all out effort to rush against time to accomplish your tasks and objectives. Very often we have experience such things in life. But have you ever thought that we are racing against the time of death? That we really have very limited time to do what we want or what we need to do in life because eighty years of life is actually not long at all? In fact, we should not have the attitude of living eighty years, seventy years, sixty years, fifty years, forty years, thirty years, twenty years, or ten years. Let alone ten years, do not have the attitude or thought that you would live another year, another month, another week. As Steve Jobs have said, always live life like this is your last day, for one day you would be right. And the one thing that matters most is liberation. Feel this sense of urgency like you did when you were rushing very badly against time and apply utmost persistence, effort and mindfulness for the sake of happiness here and now, happiness in the thereafter, and the ultimate happiness of nirvana. Practice like your head is on fire. As Buddha always warned his monks, "do meditation, monks, lest you regret later". Do not let your rare and precious human life and opportunity to practice dharma go to waste.
• Whimsy

  23 Nov 11, 14:57

  Awesome!, but if you always remove thorn of affliction, you never will stop removing, by removing is thorn in itself...the right way is to neither removing nor not removing but still engage diligently in removing like planting merits, charity for needies and your loved ones etc tracelessly :D

• An Eternal Now

  24 Nov 11, 10:58

  Actually, the thorns of afflictions can be uprooted permanently. This is by way of prajna wisdom, not suppression (via concentration and shamatha, which are temporary).

  Also, Buddhism is not just "planting merits, charity for needies and loved ones" - if Buddhism were only about this, it is worldly dharma and cannot lead to liberation. It will only lead to heavenly rebirths and Buddhism will be no more different than just a worldly religion.

  As I always quote Loppon Namdrol on this:

  
  Whoever is attached to a result for this life, is not a Dharma person.
  
  The purpose of Dharma is liberation, not feeling better in this life. The purpose of Dharma is not the cultivation of mundane compassion, and so on.
  
  The purpose of Dharma is to control afflictions, then overcome them, and finally, to attain a state of total omniscience and freedom.