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"Eventually, those "children" grow into angst-driven teenagers, and rebel." This is a natural phenomena if children/younger do not respect the elders. If there is a solid culture and the respect of who was coming first, there are is no such flourish of subcultures.
"Of course rulers are subject to their own problems." The problem is if don't see that they are subject to the same problems and think of other problems.
If we just respect our parents (for example) we would not make mistakes out of misunderstanding. But for sure there are many who don't know the task of parents and have not enough empathy. So they need to walk first in the same shoes.
Actually the children entertained with toys have grown up now. I am not sure if they really think about: "Why is this crap still going on?"
As there are still some having maybe nice toys. *smile*
That's maybe only a preconception to see it as unctuous and "irritating" is better as to give a beloved attachment.
Or maybe it's me telling you to knock it off.
Well mind is the forerunner, take care of you thoughts. We can not trust our self all the time, we are often caught in vedanas, pleasant or unpleasant sometimes even neutral (defuse). Actually neutral (defuse) are often more dangerous because we have no intensive object of observing.
That is why such "revolutions" can be useful. Not for the sake to win in our opinion, but to look at our self and that a victory causes always a loos.
Maybe we might find out, that we should not look for victory nor for loos. And maybe we find out how long we have been unaware of many things and its causes.
Then we could go on into the real battle which would cause not a single harm. We could try to conquer our own mind.
There are two revolutions which could arise if we leave neutral (upekkha vedana - defuse, often misinterpretation as as the mind state of upekkha/equanimity) feelings: one is a battle following or pleasant or unpleasant feelings (the worldly battle that leads to additional suffering) and the other is to get understand feelings as they are - impermanent, not-self and stressful.
So we could reach real upekkha/equanimity, a factor of enlightenment and peace. *smile* Master of the mind we can change the world, without harming others additional, thought of a "self".
The Buddha said, "Monks, did you see the jackal running around here in the evening? Did you see him? Standing still it suffered. Running around it suffered. Sitting down it suffered. Lying down it suffered. Going into the hollow of a tree, it suffered. Going into a cave, it felt ill at ease. It suffered because it thought, 'Standing here isn't good. Sitting isn't good. Lying down isn't good. This bush isn't good. This tree hollow isn't good. This cave isn't good.' So it kept running all the time. Actually, that jackal has mange. Its discomfort doesn't come from the bush or the tree hollow or the cave, from sitting, standing, or lying down. It comes from the mange."
You monks are the same. Your discomfort comes from your wrong views. You hold onto ideas that are poisonous and so you're tormented. You don't exert restraint over your senses, so you blame other things. You don't know what's going on inside you. When you stay here at Wat Nong Pah Pong, you suffer. You go to America and suffer. You go to London and suffer. You go to Wat Bung Wai and suffer. You go to every branch monastery and suffer. Wherever you go, you suffer. This comes from the wrong views that still lie within you. Your views are wrong and you hold onto ideas that are poisonous in your hearts. Wherever you go you suffer. You're like that jackal.
Once you recover from your mange, though, you can be at ease wherever you go: at ease out in the open, at ease in the wild. I think about this often and keep teaching it to you because this point of Dhamma is very useful.
That sounds like an awful lot for the Buddha to be projecting onto a jackal! It sounds like a stereotype, like what they say about hyenas in Africa.
The Buddha used to teach in similes, you might look at the sutta where it is originated:
Sigala Sutta: The Jackal
Dwelling at Savatthi. "Monks, gains, offerings, & fame are a cruel thing, a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
"Have you heard the jackal howling in the last hours of the night?"
"Yes, lord."
"That jackal is suffering from mange. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to a bluff, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery.
"In the same way there is the case where a certain monk is conquered by gains, offerings, & fame, his mind consumed. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to an empty dwelling, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery. That's how cruel gains, offerings, & fame are: a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will put aside any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen; and we will not let any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen keep our minds consumed.' That's how you should train yourselves."
Comments
"Of course rulers are subject to their own problems." The problem is if don't see that they are subject to the same problems and think of other problems.
If we just respect our parents (for example) we would not make mistakes out of misunderstanding. But for sure there are many who don't know the task of parents and have not enough empathy. So they need to walk first in the same shoes.
Actually the children entertained with toys have grown up now. I am not sure if they really think about: "Why is this crap still going on?"
As there are still some having maybe nice toys. *smile*
:rockon:
That is why such "revolutions" can be useful. Not for the sake to win in our opinion, but to look at our self and that a victory causes always a loos.
Maybe we might find out, that we should not look for victory nor for loos. And maybe we find out how long we have been unaware of many things and its causes.
Then we could go on into the real battle which would cause not a single harm. We could try to conquer our own mind.
There are two revolutions which could arise if we leave neutral (upekkha vedana - defuse, often misinterpretation as as the mind state of upekkha/equanimity) feelings: one is a battle following or pleasant or unpleasant feelings (the worldly battle that leads to additional suffering) and the other is to get understand feelings as they are - impermanent, not-self and stressful.
So we could reach real upekkha/equanimity, a factor of enlightenment and peace.
*smile*
Master of the mind we can change the world, without harming others additional, thought of a "self".
The Buddha said, "Monks, did you see the jackal running around here in the evening? Did you see him? Standing still it suffered. Running around it suffered. Sitting down it suffered. Lying down it suffered. Going into the hollow of a tree, it suffered. Going into a cave, it felt ill at ease. It suffered because it thought, 'Standing here isn't good. Sitting isn't good. Lying down isn't good. This bush isn't good. This tree hollow isn't good. This cave isn't good.' So it kept running all the time. Actually, that jackal has mange. Its discomfort doesn't come from the bush or the tree hollow or the cave, from sitting, standing, or lying down. It comes from the mange."
You monks are the same. Your discomfort comes from your wrong views. You hold onto ideas that are poisonous and so you're tormented. You don't exert restraint over your senses, so you blame other things. You don't know what's going on inside you. When you stay here at Wat Nong Pah Pong, you suffer. You go to America and suffer. You go to London and suffer. You go to Wat Bung Wai and suffer. You go to every branch monastery and suffer. Wherever you go, you suffer. This comes from the wrong views that still lie within you. Your views are wrong and you hold onto ideas that are poisonous in your hearts. Wherever you go you suffer. You're like that jackal.
Once you recover from your mange, though, you can be at ease wherever you go: at ease out in the open, at ease in the wild. I think about this often and keep teaching it to you because this point of Dhamma is very useful.
from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/chah/insimpleterms.html
*smile*
Sigala Sutta: The Jackal
Dwelling at Savatthi. "Monks, gains, offerings, & fame are a cruel thing, a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
"Have you heard the jackal howling in the last hours of the night?"
"Yes, lord."
"That jackal is suffering from mange. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to a bluff, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery.
"In the same way there is the case where a certain monk is conquered by gains, offerings, & fame, his mind consumed. He finds no pleasure whether he goes to an empty dwelling, to the foot of a tree, or to the open air. Wherever he goes, wherever he stands, wherever he sits, wherever he lies down, he is sunk in misery. That's how cruel gains, offerings, & fame are: a harsh, bitter obstacle to the attainment of the unexcelled rest from bondage.
"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will put aside any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen; and we will not let any gains, offerings, & fame that have arisen keep our minds consumed.' That's how you should train yourselves."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn17/sn17.008.than.html
*smile*
No need to let one "self" be identified in it, but getting the message.
Mange is a synonym for wrong views, while the jackal is a synonym for being subject to suffering.