Date: 12/09/2023 12/10/2023
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Lucy Zhou
Dharma talk
The Road to Death of the Eagle and the Monkey
The Buddha once told two stories as analogies to teach the bhikkhus that they should be skilled in the Four Foundations of Mindfulness practice as if they knew their hometowns.
The Buddha said:
“Once upon a time, a quail was caught by a large eagle, and as the eagle rose high into the air, the quail regrated sadly under the eagle’s claws, saying:
“I only have myself to blame for negligence. It was my negligence that I unconsciously left the environment where I grew up so that I was caught in a strange environment. If I didn’t fly and leave my familiar environment, even the large eagle could do nothing to me.”
Hearing this, the big eagle was unconvinced and asked:
“Quail! What is your familiar environment?”
“In the ridge of the field where no one can catch me.”
The eagle said arrogantly:
“Quail! Even if I let you go back to the ridge, I still can catch you!”
Then the eagle set the quail free and prepared to catch it again so that it would die with conviction.
When the quail returned to the ridge of the field, he found a large piece of clod where it could hide. Standing on the lug, the quail squared its chest to the eagle and said provocatively:
“Come on! Come and catch me!
The eagle, seeing the quail’s provocation, said angrily:
“How dare you fight with me, you little thing?” So the eagle, in a rage, gathered both wings and swooped down from the air like an arrow and pounced on the quail. The quail timed it right and hid under the clod. The eagle had no time to react, so it crashed headlong into the clod and died.”
On another occasion, the Buddha used the metaphor of monkeys being captured, and the Buddha said:
“Bhikkhus! There are some steep terrains in the deep snowy mountains that even monkeys cannot get there, let alone human beings. There are some places that only monkeys can reach, and human beings cannot approach. There are some relatively flat places that human beings can reach, and monkeys also often get there. Monkey hunters just choose places like these to find out the paths where monkeys used to and set a strong glue trap to catch monkeys.
Some clever monkeys can recognize the glue trap and keep it far away, and some stupid or short-tempered monkeys curiously touch the sticky glue with their hands. As a result, their hands get clinging to the strong glue. With anxiety, they use their other hands to help get out of the trap, and the hands also are glued down. Then they use their feet to help, one by one. As a result, all four limbs are stuck, leaving only their mouths can still move. The unwary monkeys also want to use their mouths to help; when they lean on, their mouths are glued. In the end, they could only struggle and groan and be slaughtered by monkey catchers.”
After telling the parable, the Buddha then said:
“Bhikkhus! These will happen when you go to a place you are not familiar with.
Bhikkhus! If you often approach an inappropriate state, you will easily allow the devil to take advantage of them.
What is the inappropriate state? That is the five desires: when the eyes see, the ears hear, the nose smells, the tongue tastes, the body touches, and the mind thinks and feels lovely, joyful, and clinging. It is an inappropriate and dangerous state.
Bhikkhus! What is the familiar and safe state to stay in? It is the Four Foundations of Mindfulness: to be aware of the body as the object of awareness; to be aware of the feelings, the mind, and the dharma of mind as the object of awareness; to regulate the greed and sorrow of the world with a passionate attitude, clear awareness, and clear thoughts.”
