35:52–40:50
If we go to the core,
his Awakening was about the Four Awakened Understandings
(the Four Noble Truths),
and this means to see what is troublesome,
what is hurtful,
what is unwholesome,
and that is causing us problems.
To see it, and to know its cause,
because to understand really what it is,
we need to understand its cause.
But, it doesn’t stop there (fortunately),
the most important part of the practice is to, in fact, let it go.
And this is where this
cāga, patinissaga, mutti and anālaya comes in:
this, giving it up,
giving up what is troublesome,
what is causing us hurt,
that can take many, many, many forms,
but to break free from it:
patinissaga.
mutti: freedom
and anālaya: not clinging to it,
letting it go.
And the fourth Awakened Understanding, or Noble Truth
is the eight-fold path (the eight-spoked path).
And the four Noble Truths are within the eight-fold path,
and the eight-fold path is within the four Noble Truths,
and so these two things (compassion and wisdom),
are core aspects of the Buddha’s teaching and his Awakening.
But to make a long story, short,
this first Noble Truth,
really what the Buddha realized,
that Bodhi, that Awakening,
was that this trouble, this hurt,
whatever form or shape or name we give it,
it has three roots:
greed, hate (anger), and delusion.
And this is the cause of all of our problems.
There is even a very good sutta in the Samyutta Nikāya
‘Caṇḍa the Furious’, comes to the Buddha and asks:
“Bhante, how is one known to be furious (or angry),
and how is one known to be gentle?”
And the Buddha skillfully replies:
‘When one has not abandoned greed,
other people irritate him,
therefore, he shows irritation and anger.
He is known as furious.’
One has not abandoned anger or dislike,
therefore other people irritate him or her,
that person shows irritation and anger.
That person is known as furious.’
‘One has not abandoned delusion,
(Delusion here is many things, but is lacking discernment,
and not knowing the wholesome and the unwholesome.
Really in short, that’s what it means),
and other people irritate him or her,
and that person shows irritation.
That person is known as furious.’
And the gentle is, well,
a person has abandoned greed,
a person has abandoned anger,
a person has abandoned delusion.
And, other people do not irritate them.
Because when we are free from greed, hate and delusion,
we’re just happy!
Others do not affect us so much.
Why?
Because there’s no greed,
Because there’s no hate,
Because there’s no delusion.
The mind is free.
It is not weighted down by these states,
and confused and obsessed
and overwhelmed.
And when the mind moves away from this,
it moves towards, inevitably,
something wholesome.
It moves toward happiness and joy.