STAGE II: CULTIVATION OF GOOD THOUGHTS
DISPASSION
Reflect on the disadvantages of the pursuit of sensual pleasure and attachments. Reflect on the following in relation to concrete examples from your own life. Examine your own past in the light of this teaching:
1. The arising of hatred or desire is the arising of discomfort. The more unpleasant or pleasant the object hated or desired, the more uncomfortable the hatred or desire.
2. The frustration of desire, when not satisfied is even worse. This discomfort can lead to the discomfort of others too. This discomfort, in the extreme, can lead to crime and suicide. It is not always possible to satisfy desires.
3. The struggle to satisfy desire could be uncomfortable too. The failure to satisfy after an uncomfortable struggle can be an even more uncomfortable disappointment.
4. Success in satisfaction after an uncomfortable struggle can be a great relief. The release of tension when the desired object is obtained is what is experienced as normal happiness or pleasure.
5. Once the object desired is obtained, we cease to derive any pleasure out of it. It also can become stale and unpleasant. The pleasure is impermanent.
6. What has been obtained is personalized as, “this is mine”. To lose what has been personalized is to lose a part of oneself. The thought of loss brings about a feeling of insecurity and anxiety. This makes one begin to protect what has been obtained and personalized.
7. The struggle to protect and maintain what has been obtained is uncomfortable too. Protection involves much anxiety, worry, mental and physical discomfort, stress and distress.
8. Finally, we cannot avoid parting from what has been obtained and personalized. When parting, the discomfort is very great.
9. But the cycle starts all over again in spite of the suffering involved. This is how stupidly we suffer, being carried away by our emotions. Blinded by our emotions, we never become aware of the suffering we are going through. We recurrently begin the cycle of coming into being through personalization and continue to suffer.
10. It is only by becoming aware of this suffering that we become free of this self-inflicted pain. Actually, it is not done by us. It is something that happens to us. We are the victims of a natural process. The wisdom of the Buddha shows us the way out. What is unstable, uncomfortable and impersonal should be given up.
The flow chart below illustrates the perils of the pursuit of sensual pleasures, as described in the Mahanidana Sutta in the Dialogues of the Buddha (DB).
PERILS OF THE PURSUIT OF SENSUAL PLEASURES
