The Prison of Life (13)

The Prison of Life #13

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu Online

We have upādāna towards life, that is, towards ourselves, which have these six media for sensing, experiencing, receiving, communicating with, and tasting sense objects.

When there’s upādāna regarding these six āyatanas, we serve them and become their slaves.

We serve the eyes to gratify the eyes.

We serve the ears to gratify the ears.

We serve the nose to satisfy the nose.

We serve the tongue to satiate the tongue.

We serve the skin and general body sense to make it comfortable.

We serve the mind, the mental sense, in order to soothe and comfort it.

This means that all our behavior is just for entertaining these āyatanas.

We surrender to them and become their slaves.

Then, as they squeeze and control us, there’s no avoiding them.

We call this ‘getting caught in the prison of the āyatanas.’

 

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From the book “The Prison of Life

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