Best Description Of Samsara

ThailandTom

This is the best way I have read personally that describes Samsara. Imagine a sphere swirling around and around, on the circumference and outer edges you can remain there being pulled and swept around and around. In the middle of this sphere is a point of stillness, of calm and clarity. In meditation we can reach this point but that is not to be grasped at, we should not want to remain here as this in itself will cause suffering, the importance is notice it is there and the entire sphere, samsara.

This may not resonate with everyone and others may see it as a bad description, but this worked for me and hope it can click with others.

person

I like it, its kind of the way I think of the mind, which I suppose is much the same as samsara.

pegembara

Similar analogy by Ajahn Sumedho

One way of describing stillness and the movement of the mind, which Ajahn Sumedho assumes you know, is the analogy of the turning wheel. If you imagine a wheel of a car: the tire is where there is movement, in the center of the tire there is no movement, stillness. When we are not coming from stillness then we are on the wheel. When we are attached to something or want to get rid of something then we are again pulled out from the center on to the wheel-the endless circle of becoming/suffering.

extr. from Sound of Silence by Sumedho

ThailandTom

it is interesting reading his books and teachings and then comparing them with Ajahn Brahms, considering they are both Western and learnt under Ajahn Chah. They are both virtuous people and good teachers IMO, I have learnt a lot from both of them.