Date: 12/23/2023 12/24/2023
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Lucy Zhou
Dharma talk
Just like taming a cow
The Buddha once told the monks in the Ghoshitaram monastery, southeast of Kosambi:
“In whatever monk or nun there arises desire, passion, aversion, delusion, or mental resistance with regard to forms cognizable via the eye …sounds cognizable via the ear… aromas cognizable via the nose… flavours cognizable via the tongue… tactile sensations cognizable via the body… ideas cognizable via the intellect, he/she should tame the mind. By how? Think about it like this: it’s dangerous and dubious, that path, thorny and overgrown, a miserable path, a devious path, impenetrable. It’s a path followed by evil people, not a path followed by virtuous people.
“Monks! Suppose that crops had ripened, and the watchman was heedless. An ox invaded the paddle field to eat the crops. In this way, the crops about to be harvested would be wasted.
Now suppose that crops had ripened, and the watchman was heedful. The crop-eating ox would invade the field to eat the crops, but then the watchman would grab it firmly by the muzzle and give it a sound thrashing, and then he would let it go. A second time… A third time, the crop-eating ox would invade the crops to eat the crops, but then the watchman would grab it firmly by the muzzle and give it a sound thrashing. After a long time, the crop-eating ox wouldn’t get close to the paddy field again, much less invade the field and ruin the crops.
Monks! Taming the mind is just like taming that crop-ox. You must keep alert and guard it every time. You must tell yourself repeatedly that it is an evil path full of terror, thorns, obstacles, and dangers, so you must keep it away and tame your mind in this way. When your mind is tamed, thoroughly tamed, from the six media of sensory contact, your mind settles inwardly, grows steady, unified, and concentrated.
“Again, monks! Suppose there were a king or king’s ministers who had never heard the sound of a lute before. When the king heard the lute sound for the first time, he was fascinated by the beautiful sound and asked his ministers:
‘What is that delightful sound?’
‘That, sire, is called a lute, whose sound is so delightful.’
Then he would say, ‘Go and fetch me that lute.’
His minister fetched the lute and said: ‘Here, sire, is the lute whose sound is so delightful.’
He would say, ‘Why should I need the lute. Fetch me just the sound.’
‘This lute, sire, is made of numerous components, a great many components. It’s through the activity of numerous components that it sounds: that is, in dependence on the body, the skin, the neck, the frame, the strings, the bridge, and the appropriate human effort. Thus, it is that this lute—made of numerous components, a great many components—sounds through the activity of numerous components.’
‘Such a hypocrisy and unusefulness thing, how could it deceive everyone, why keep it, take it out and split it!’
The minister followed the order and split the lute into hundred pieces.
In the same way, a monk has the ability to investigate different levels of form, feeling, perception, fabrications, and consciousness. He knows that all of these arise from causes and conditions. They are conditioned and impermanent; any thoughts of ‘me’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ do not occur to him anymore.’
Monks, do contemplation like this!”
