Melissa McKay: Beauty Queen Sutra (video)

Melissa McKay (insightLA.org), streamed live 10/6/19; SN 47:20 based on Ven. Thanissaro (trans., accesstoinsight.org); Lady Gaga (Key of Awesome); Dhr. Seven, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Melissa McKay visits insightLA from Vegas to offer a Dharma talk.

The Beauty Queen
Mindfulness is like balancing a dish of precious oil on one's head.

Don't spill my oil or they'll decapitate you!

"Meditators, suppose a large crowd of people comes thronging together saying, 'The beauty queen, the beauty queen!'

"And suppose that the beauty queen is highly accomplished at singing and dancing [like a Lady Gaga], so that an even greater crowd comes thronging saying, 'The beauty queen is singing! The beauty queen is dancing!'

Don't chop off my head! (HB)

"Then a man comes along, desiring life, shrinking from death, desiring pleasure, and abhorring pain.

"They say to him, 'Now look here, mister: You must take this container filled to the brim with oil and carry it on your head in between the great crowd and the beauty queen. A man with a raised sword will follow right behind you, and wherever you spill even a drop of oil, right there will he cut off your head.'

"Now what do you think, meditators — will that man, neglecting to pay attention to the container of oil, let himself get distracted by something external?"

"No, venerable sir."

I hope this talk is of benefit. (Melissa McKay)

[The Buddha then explains this example:] "I have given this parable to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: The container filled to the brim with oil stands for mindfulness immersed in the body.

"So train yourselves: 'We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, hand it the reins, and take it as a basis, give it a grounding, steady it, consolidate it, and undertake it well.' That is how to train yourselves" (SN 47.20).