In todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte and#8220;The Effect of Reflecting on Sufferingand#8221; Maitreyi looks at pleasure and suffering in the context of samsara and#8211; compassionate responses to self and other, and how to loosen the bondsand#8230;
This Dharmabyte is from the talk and#8220;The Defects and Dangers of Samsara,and#8221; given at Tiratanaloka Retreat Centre, 2005 and is part of the series and#8220;The Four Mind-Turning Reflections.and#8221;
[music] Dharma Bites is brought to you by Free Buddhist Audio, the Dharma for real life. Our work is funded entirely by donations from our generous listeners. If you would like to help us keep this free, come and join us at freebuddhistaudio.com/community. Thank you and happy listening. [music] So what is the effect of such reflections? We can easily feel overwhelmed. I can see that, looking at you. But remember, no blame, no guilt. So if we remember, no blame, no guilt, then what arises with our reflections? Maybe sadness, empathy, compassion. When you realize suffering for what it is, as the Buddha did, then you will be drawn into discovering its causes. That's the Dalai Lama speaking. One thing only do I teach, suffering and the cessation of suffering. The Buddha. So the Buddha realized that suffering is a fact of the human condition caused by craving, which in turn is caused by ignorance. And ignorance which sets up the way we experience the world. And he saw how difficult it is for us to penetrate that ignorance because of the desire and attachment it gives rise to. So not long after his enlightenment experience, he's considering whether to teach the Dharma. And it's a passage that I find very moving. I've always found very moving. He says, "The law that I have attained to is profound and hard to see, hard to discover. It is the most peaceful and superior goal of all, not attainable by mere reasoning, subtle for the wise to experience. But this generation relies on attachment, relishes attachment, delights in attachment. It is hard for such a generation to see this truth. That is to say, Inditionality, Dependent, Arising. And if I taught the law, others would not understand me. And that would be wearying and troublesome for me. I always like the way he seems to take himself into account at the end of that passage. So I want to look a bit closer at where we might be at in all of this. Certainly we are in a state of ignorance conditioned by the Atma clation. We hope you enjoyed the talk. Please come and help us keep this free at freebuddhistaudio.com/community. And thank you. [music] [music] [music] [music] [ Silence ]
