Ajahn Chah (ajahnchah.org) via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
(Solomon Sloan) Could an artist-in-residence overdo the sublime Buddhist art of portraiture?
What is a spittoon really?
They spat in the 1910s in Chicago courtrooms. |
For example, look at this spittoon here. Everybody knows it's a spittoon -- but they don't fully know the spittoon. Why don't they fully know it?
If I were to call this spittoon a saucepan, what would you say? Suppose that every time I asked for it, I said: "Please bring me that saucepan over there." That would confuse you. Why? Because you don't fully know the spittoon. If you did, there would be no problem. You would simply pick up that object and hand it to me. How could this be?
If I were to call this spittoon a saucepan, what would you say? Suppose that every time I asked for it, I said: "Please bring me that saucepan over there." That would confuse you. Why? Because you don't fully know the spittoon. If you did, there would be no problem. You would simply pick up that object and hand it to me. How could this be?
Name follows function: emptiness |
If somebody wants to call it a saucepan, it can be a saucepan. It can be whatever one calls it. This is called "concept." If we fully know the spittoon, even if somebody calls it a saucepan, there's no problem.
Whatever others may or may not call it, we are unperturbed -- because we are not blind to its true nature. [We know-and-see its true nature.] This is one who knows Dharma.
What is real insight?
What is real insight?
Earliest (human) conception of the Buddha |
They come, and they pass. Even if the worst kinds of defilement come up, such as greed or anger, there’s enough wisdom to see their impermanent nature and to allow them to just fade and pass away.
If you react to them [with a preference], however, by liking or disliking [greed or hatred, attraction or aversion], that isn’t wisdom. You’re only creating more suffering/disappointment for yourself.
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