434 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
434 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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SUBDUE DESIRES AND PASSIONS
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All religions agree that the seeker after Ultimate Reality must
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restrain his desires and subdue the passions of the flesh. But lest the
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religions be viewed as advocating one uniform position, we should disting-
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uish between the view of Buddhism, Taoism, and Jainism, where any desire,
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including the desire to be righteous or the desire to annihilate desire,
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is a fetter to be overcome in the path to holiness, and the position of
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Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Confucianism where Selfish Desire, Lust,
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and Greed, pp. 415-22, are to be subdued while good desires may be encour-
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aged.
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At the end of this chapter is the motif, found in the texts of many
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scriptures, that the thought is akin to the deed, for 'everyone who looks
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at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his
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heart.' Therefore, extreme care should be taken to avoid tempting situat-
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ions which would inflame the mind with passion. For even if a person has
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a strong will to restrain his actions, once the mind is inflamed with des-
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ire, how can his soul be tranquil and composed?
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For related passages on the theme of self-conquest and the metaphor
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of the horse, bridle, and reins--in which the desires of the senses must
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be reined in by the mind, or better, be trained to obey the mind with only
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a light tap of the reins--see Self-Control, pp. 731-34.
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Through the abandonment of desire the Deathless is realized.
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Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya xlvii.37
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Manifest plainness,
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Embrace simplicity,
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Reduce selfishness,
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Have few desires.
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Taoism. Tao Te Ching 19
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Confucius said, "If out of the three hundred Songs I had to take one
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phrase to cover all my teachings, I would say, 'Let there be no evil in
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your thoughts.'"
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Confucianism. Analects 2.2
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Realizing that pleasure and pain are personal affairs, one should subju-
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gate his mind and senses.
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Jainism. Acarangasutra 2.78
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Beloved, I beseech you... to abstain from the passions of the flesh that
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wage war against your soul.
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Christianity. 1 Peter 2.11
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Is he who relies on a clear proof from his Lord like those for whom the
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evil that they do seems pleasing while they follow their own lusts?
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Islam. Qur'an 47.14
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That man is disciplined and happy
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who can prevail over the turmoil
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That springs from desire and anger,
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here on earth, before he leaves his body.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 5.23
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A man should always incite the good impulse in his soul to fight against
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the evil impulse. If he subdues it, well and good; if not, let him study
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Torah.... If [by that] he subdues it, well and good; if not, let him pray
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upon his bed.
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Judaism. Talmud, Berakot 5a
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Whoever quenches the fire of desire through the holy Word,
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Spontaneously is his illusion of duality banished.
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Such is he in whose heart the Name dwells, by the Master's guidance.
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Gauri Ashtpadi, M.1, p. 222
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To whatever extent the five senses, the four taints of emotions, and the
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four instinctive appetites are suppressed by a person who is well establ-
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ished in the path of righteousness, to such extent the doorway for the
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entrance of evil is closed for that person.
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Jainism. Acarangasutra 4.15
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Put to death what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil
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desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the
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wrath of God is coming. In these you once walked, when you lived in them.
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But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk
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from your mouth.
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Christianity. Colossians 3.5-8
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>From endearment springs grief, from endearment springs fear; for him who
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is wholly free from endearment there is no grief, much less fear.
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>From affection springs grief, from affection springs fear; for him who is
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wholly free from affection there is no grief, much less fear.
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>From attachment springs grief, from attachment springs fear; for him who
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is wholly free from attachment there is no grief, much less fear.
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>From lust springs grief, from lust springs fear; for him who is wholly
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free from lust there is no grief, much less fear.
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>From craving springs grief, from craving springs fear; for him who is
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wholly free from craving there is no grief, much less fear.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 212-16
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We live in accordance with our deep, driving desire. It is this desire at
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the time of death that determines what our next life is to be. We will
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come back to earth to work out the satisfaction of that desire.
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But not for those who are free from desire; they are free because all
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their desires have found fulfillment in the Self. They do not die like
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the others; but realizing Brahman, they merge in Brahman. So it is said:
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When all the desires that surge in the heart
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Are renounced, the mortal becomes immortal.
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When all the knots that strangle the heart
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Are loosened, the mortal becomes immortal,
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Here in this very life.
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Hinduism. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6-7
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The craving of a person addicted to careless living grows like a creeper.
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He jumps from life to life like a fruit-loving monkey in the forest.
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Whomsoever in this world this base clinging thirst overcomes, his sorrows
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flourish like well-watered birana grass. Whoso in the world overcomes
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this base unruly craving, from him sorrows fall away like water drops from
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a lotus leaf. This I say to you: Dig up the root of craving like one in
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quest of the birana's sweet root. Let not Mara crush you again and again
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as a flood crushes a reed.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 334-37
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What is meant by saying that cultivation of the personal life depends on
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the rectification of the mind is that when one is affected by wrath to
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any extent, his mind will not be correct. When one is affected by fear to
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any extent, his mind will not be correct. When he is affected by fondness
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to any extent, his mind will not be correct. When he is affected by
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worries and anxieties, his mind will not be correct. When the mind is not
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present, we look but do not see, listen but do not hear, and eat but do
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not know the taste of food. This is what is meant by saying that the
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cultivation of the personal life depends on the rectification of the mind.
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Confucianism. Great Learning 7
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Wipe out the delusions of the will, undo the snares of the heart, rid
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yourself of the entanglements to virtue; open up the roadblocks in the
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Way. Eminence and wealth, recognition and authority, fame and profit--
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these six are the delusions of the will. Appearances and carriage, compl-
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exion and features, temperament and attitude--these six are the snares of
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the heart. Loathing and desire, joy and anger, grief and happiness--these
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six are the entanglements of virtue. Rejecting and accepting, taking and
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giving, knowledge and ability--these six are the roadblocks of the Way.
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When these four sixes no longer seethe within the breast, then you will
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achieve uprightness; being upright, you will be still; being still, you
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will be enlightened; being enlightened, you will be empty; and being
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empty, you will do nothing, and yet there will be nothing that is not
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done.
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Taoism. Chuang Tzu 23
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Bhagavad Gita 5.23: Cf. Bhagavad Gita 3.41, p. 417; 6.23-26, pp. 843f.;
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16.21-13, p. 417; Maitri Upanishad 6.34.7, p. 722; Mahabharata, Santi
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Parva 177, p. 199. Acarangasutra 2.78: Cf. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 9.34-36,
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p. 732. Berakot 5a: Cf. Kiddushin 30b, p. 390; Qur'an 29.45, p. 826.
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1 Peter 2.11: Cf. Proverbs 16.32, p. 732; 2 Timothy 2.21-22, p. 729;
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Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 10.1, p. 733. Qur'an 47.14: Cf. Qur'an 4.25,
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p. 260. Dhammapada 212-16: Cf. Dhammapada 338-47, p. 418; Itivuttaka 47,
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p. 934. Dhammapada 334-37: Cf. Dhammapada 338-47, p. 418; Guide to the
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Bodhisattva's Way of Life 4.28-35, p. 392. Great Learning 7: Cf. James
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4.1-3, p. 416; Chuang Tzu 11, p. 421. Chuang Tzu 23: Cf. Tao Te Ching 56,
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p. 840.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Confucius said, "There are three things against which a gentleman is on
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his guard. In his youth, before his blood and vital humors have settled
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down, he is on his guard against lust. Having reached his prime, when the
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blood and vital humors have finally hardened, he is on his guard against
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strife. Having reached old age, when the blood and vital humors are
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already decaying, he is on his guard against avarice."
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Confucianism. Analects 16.7
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Thus I have heard. At one time when the Lord was staying in the Jeta
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Grove, the venerable Kassapa the Boy was staying in Blind Men's Grove.
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One night, a certain being, having illuminated the grove, spoke thus to
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Kassapa the Boy, "Monk, this anthill smokes by night and blazes up by day.
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A wise brahmin says, 'Clever one, bring a spade and dig into it.' He digs
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into it and finds a bolt and tells the brahmin, who says, 'Take out the
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bolt, and dig on.' The clever one digs into it again and finds in turn a
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frog, a pitchfork, a basket, a tortise, a butcher knife, and a piece of
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meat, and each time the brahmin instructs him to take it out. He digs
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into it again and finds a cobra, and the brahmin says, 'Let the cobra be,
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do not touch the cobra, do reverence to the cobra.'"
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Then Kassapa the Boy approached the Lord and described the parable
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to him, asking for its interpretation. The Lord replied, "The anthill is
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a symbol for the body made of the four elements, originated from mother
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and father, nourished on gruel... Whatever one thinks upon and ponders
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upon during the night concerning the day's affairs, this is smoking by
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night. Whatever affairs one sets going by day, having reflected the prev-
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ious night, this is blazing up by day. The wise brahmin is the Tathagata,
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and the clever one is a monk who is a learner. The spade symbolizes
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intuitive wisdom, and digging means putting out effort.
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"Among the things which the man digs up and takes out, the bolt
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symbolizes ignorance, the frog is the turbulence of wrath, the pitchfork
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is perplexity, and the basket is the five hindrances--the holding on to
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desire for sense pleasures, hatred, laziness, restlessness, delusion. The
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tortoise is the five Aggregates, the butcher knife is five sense pleas-
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ures, and the piece of meat is the resulting desire that causes one to
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covet satisfaction. These are all to be taken out and thrown away.
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"The cobra means the person whose cankers are destroyed. If one
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digs into himself with the spade of wisdom, he will finally come to his
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cobra. It is worthy of reverence."
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Buddhism. Majjhima Nikaya i.142-45, Parable of the
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Anthill
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The greatest problem of any man is woman.
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African Traditional Religions. Igala Proverb (Nigeria)
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Confucius said, "I have never seen anyone whose desire to build up his
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moral power was as strong as sexual desire."
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Confucianism. Analects 9.17 and 15.12
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The Buddha said, "Of all longings and desires, there is none stronger than
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sex. Sex as a desire has no equal. Rely on the Oneness. No one under
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heaven is able to become a follower of the Way if he accepts dualism [the
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attraction of opposites]."
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Buddhism. Sutra of Forty-two Sections 25
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Majjhima Nikaya i.142-45: The five 'Aggregates' are the skandhas; the
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'five sense pleasures,' are the pleasures of sight, sound, smell,
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taste, and touch. Cf. Mahaparinirvana Sutra 8.12, p. 147; Matthew
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5.29-30, p. 663; Samyutta Nikaya iii.68, p. 640.
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Igala Proverb: This means that a wife or lover leads to unforeseen troub-
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les, hence the desire for sex should be disciplined.
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Sutra of Forty-two Sections: This may be a criticism of Tantric Buddhism,
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with its "secret yoga" of sexual union as the way to enlightenment.
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For an example of a dualistic Tantric conception of enlightenment,
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see Hevajra Tantra 8.26-29, p. 118.
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Those who abstain from sex,
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Except with those joined to them in the marriage bond...
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[But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors]...
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These will be the heirs
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Who will inherit paradise.
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Islam. Qur'an 23.5-11
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He who delights in subduing evil thoughts, who meditates on the loathsome-
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ness of the body, who is ever mindful--it is he who will make an end of
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craving. He will sever Mara's bond.
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Buddhism. Dhammapada 350
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The mouth is a vessel filled with foul
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Saliva and filth between the teeth,
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The nose with fluids, snot, and mucus,
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The eyes with their own filth and tears.
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The body is a vessel filled
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With excrement, urine, lungs, and liver;
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He whose vision is obscured and does not see
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A woman thus, lusts for her body.
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This filthy city of a body,
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With protruding holes for the elements
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Is called by stupid beings
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An object of pleasure.
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Why should you lust desirously for this
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While recognizing it as a filthy form
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Produced by a seed whose essence is filth,
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A mixture of blood and semen?
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He who lies on the filthy mass
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Covered by skin moistened with
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Those fluids, merely lies
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On top of a woman's bladder.
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Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 149-57
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Dhammapada 350: On 'meditating on the loathsomeness of the body,' see the
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following passages; also Sutta Nipata 205-06, p. 914, and the story of Subha,
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Therigatha 366-99, pp. 934-35. For the setting up of 'mindfulness,' see
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Majjhima Nikaya i.55-63, Satipatthanasutta, pp. 845ff. Precious Garland
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149-57: Vv. 149-50, 154, 156-57. Gautama Buddha himself came to such a
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realization about the body's loathsomeness one evening when his father tempted
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him with courtesans in an effort to keep him from leaving home and beginning
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his spiritual quest. This is an excerpt from a meditation about bodies in
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general, and is not intended to denigrate women. Cf. Sutta Nipata 205-06, p.
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914; Therigatha 366-99, pp. 934-35.
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Get back, I hate you!
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Don't hold my sari, you fool!
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A she-buffalo is worried of its life,
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And the butcher, of its killing!
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The pious think of virtues,
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And the wicked, of vices;
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I am worried of my soul,
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And you, of lust....
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Fie on this body!
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Why do you damn yourself
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In love of it--this pot of excrement,
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The vessel of urine, the frame of bones,
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This stench of purulence!
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Think of Lord Shiva,
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You fool!
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Hinduism. Akkamahadevi, Vachana 15 and 33
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Continence is to regard the wife of another as one's own sister or daugh-
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ter, and to realize that the bodies of women are full of impurity and that
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charm can only delude the mind.
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Jainism. Kartikeya, Anupreksa 337-39
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Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women
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like sisters, all in purity.
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Christianity. 1 Timothy 5.1-2
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The Buddha said, "Be careful not to look at women and do not talk with
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them. If you must speak with them, be properly mindful and think, 'I am a
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shramana living in a turbid world. I should be like the lotus flower and
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not be defiled by the mud.' Regard old women the way you regard your
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mother. Regard those who are older than you the way you regard your elder
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sisters; regard those who are younger than you as your younger sisters,
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and regard children as your own. Bring forth thoughts to rescue them, and
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put an end to bad thoughts."
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Buddhism. Sutra of Forty-two Sections 29
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You have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I
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say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already
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committed adultery with her in his heart.
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Christianity. Matthew 5.27-28
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He who excites himself by lustful thoughts will not be allowed to enter
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the division of the Holy One.
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Judaism. Talmud, Nidda 13b
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The adultery of the eye is the lustful look, and the adultery of the
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tongue is the licentious speech, and the heart desires and yearns, which
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the parts may or may not put into effect.
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Islam. Hadith of Muslim
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It is true that you commit no actual crimes; but when you meet a beautiful
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woman in another's home and cannot banish her from your thoughts, you have
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committed adultery with her in your heart. Consider a moment! Would you
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have sufficient control over yourself to imitate the sage Lu Nan-tze if
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you were placed in a similar position? When he once found himself obliged
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to pass the night in a house whose only other occupant was a woman, he
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lighted a lamp and read aloud until morning to avoid exposing her to un-
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just suspicions.
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Taoism. Treatise on Response and Retribution,
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Appended Tales
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Akkamahadevi, Vachana 33: Akkamahadevi (12th century) was a Virashaiva
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woman saint. Once, when a certain king tried to molest her, she suddenly
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threw away all her clothes and stepped out into the streets nude. This
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act of purity so stunned the king that he repented of his foolish lust.
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Akkamahadevi wandered about as a naked ascetic, clad only in her long
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hair, enduring the taunts of the men and teaching an example of purity
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and devotion to God Shiva. See the previous notes. Anupreksa 337-39:
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Cf. Skanda Purana 5.2.11, p. 949. Nidda 13b: cf. Aboda Zara 20ab, p. 474.
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