BUDDHISM IN KERALA: Relinquishing what is Not Ownable produces Calmed Ease!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Relinquishing what is Not Ownable produces Calmed Ease!

The Blessed Buddha once explained:
Bhikkhus, leave whatever is not yours, give it up! Having left it, relinquished
it and in every respect released it, that will lead to your lasting welfare,
ease and happiness! And what is it, Bhikkhus, that is not yours?
The eye is not yours... Forms are not yours...
The ear is not yours... Sounds are not yours...
The nose is not yours... Smells are not yours...
The tongue is not yours... Tastes are not yours...
The body is not yours... Touches are not yours...
The mind is not yours... Mental States are not yours...
When you have left it, given it up, relinquished it, and fully released it, then
that will indeed lead to your welfare, ease and happiness for a long time...
Imagine, Bhikkhus, that people were to carry off any dry grass and sticks
in this entire forest and then burn it all to ashes! Would you then think:
'People are carrying us all off, and burning us all up into nothing...'?
No! Why not? Because that grass is neither our self, nor belonging to us!
Exactly so too, Bhikkhus: The eye is not yours. Forms are not yours.
The ear is not yours. Sounds are not yours.
The nose is not yours. Smells are not yours.
The tongue is not yours. Tastes are not yours.
The body is not yours. Touches are not yours.
The mind is not yours. Mental States are not yours.
These are neither your self, nor what you are, nor belonging to any self!
When you have left these, given them all up, released them, & relinquished
them, then that will indeed lead to your welfare, safety, ease & happiness
for a long, long, long time...

Comments:
All states -internal as external, physical as mental- are empty of stability!
Their nature is to arise and cease. Neither can they therefore ever be kept,
nor ever owned by anybody... Clinging to what never can be kept, is Pain...!
Relinquishing it all, is therefore indeed happiness...