2021-08-06-Delusion (5 of 5) Liberation from Delusion

3:10PM Aug 6, 2021

Speakers:

Gil Fronsdal

Keywords:

grasping

delusion

clinging

hatred

greed

absence

buddha

letting

familiar

free

dharma

experience

part

people

valuable

sets

mind

contraction

feel

path

Today this last talk on this five part series on delusion. It's also the last talk in the now three week series on the three roots of unwholesome behavior. The three, sometimes called the poisons, greed, hatred, and delusion. And so in conclusion, I'd like to kind of paraphrase the Buddha, when he said, that he said kind of infallibly or enthusiastically, he said, if it was not possible to bring greed, hatred and delusion to an end, I would not instruct you to do so. But it is possible to put an end to greed, hatred, and delusion. And so this is my instruction. So maybe for many people, it's inconceivable that they could give up these very strong forces in the mind. But this is what Buddha's practice is sets it sets out to do. And it's phenomenally beneficial and dignified and valuable path to be on to first alleviate the crease, and then to have an experience of the absence of greed, hatred, and delusion. And that absence then is followed by coming to a time where the tendency to greed, hatred, and delusion is comes to an end. And, and one of the things that's quite wonderful about this is that greed, hatred, and delusion are the roots for all unethical behavior, or say differently, all behavior that causes intentional or conscious harm to others, and even to ourselves. And that's a phenomenal thing to become a person who has cleansed themselves or freed themselves are these powerful forces, the consequences of which we can read in the newspaper every day of how people treat each other, and the impact we have on others and the environment and all over. And it's some, you know, the hope is that there are some people who appreciate the human capacity to become free. And, and our model then or beacon for others, that it's possible to be on this path. Maybe in this lifetime, we're not going to go all the way to the complete ending of all greed, hatred, and delusion, but the diminishing of it, and to have greater and greater periods of time when we're free of it to before it comes back, is a really marvelous for the Buddha. He teaches what he teaches called the Dharma. And, and sometimes it's Dharma, they teach you to set to be visible here, and now, directly perceivable in the present moment, it's not something esoteric and distant, you know, but rather something that's available here. And one of the inspiring ways in which she makes it soap is available, maybe it's hard to do this, but so kind of, you know, in in our lives, is that the Dharma that when the Dharma is visible here, and now when we have had the experience of greed, hatred, and delusion, and we experience, the mind, the heart, free of it, without it. And that distinction between what it's like to have a mind with greed, hatred, and delusion, and what it's like to have one without that is where we can see the Dharma in a very profound way. But it's really takes both. So part of this study of greed, hatred, delusion, is a willingness to see it in ourselves, to admit it to ourselves, to become familiar with all the tricks, all the ways that greed, hatred and delusion operate for us not to feel bad about ourselves or, or be depressed by it. But the more familiar we become, then the when, when it's not there, we're able to recognize that in a clearer way, like going from a crowded room, full of things. And because we really know what that's like, the experience of an open room that's free of a lot of crowded, things just feel so different than we really appreciate it. In fact, if the room is spacious, and clean and peaceful enough, it can feel nourishing and delightful to be in it. And so to be familiar with greed, hate and delusion to better appreciate and be nourished by the absence of it, that is to see the Dharma here, and now.

And so it's not understanding, you know, great, profound teachings on emptiness or great states of consciousness or transcendental states, as much as it is this clear kind of ordinary recognition. That's possible. The presence and the absence of these things, as we become familiar with greed, hatred and delusion, and this week, it's the topic is delusion, we begin to appreciate that all of these in delusion as well have a common characteristic. And maybe we can call that common denominator. And that is they all involve clinging, or grasping, and clinging. Some people like to think of it as like, you know, plastic cling wrap, that just sticks to us, we stick to it and, and you sometimes you can't get rid of it, or you can unfold it or something, and just companies us, but grasping is a more powerful and clinging, maybe some people are synonymous, grasping. When people would claim with Pete to people with our hands or with our hearts or minds, we grasp odd we don't let go, we clot sometimes it feels like climbing onto what we want, and to other people or something. So all greed, hate and delusion has a share. Having clinging and grasping as part of it. And something regressing something we're clinging to. And the experience of becoming really free, is the opening up of that grasping hand, it's the relaxing of the climbing, and it's the softening of the fist, or the resisting, and there's a deep, deep kind of letting go of a knot inside of us, deep letting go of a contraction, coagulation of that exists within the field of awareness. And, and, and so to move in that direction, to have a sense of this as possible. And to begin to experience this release of clinging release of grasping, first and small little experiences in life, even the smallest, letting go, relaxing around something, is a foretaste, or is or partakes in part with the liberation of a Buddha. It's just a matter of degree. And so we're not so different from the Buddha, if we begin to appreciate the small degrees, in which we live without greed, hatred, delusion to small degrees in which we can let go of it and relax around it. At small degrees, we can let go of clinging and grasping. And the appreciating that seeing that and valuing it and valuing ourselves, for being on this path. supports the group growing, growing capacity to let go more deeply to relax more deeply. And it isn't so much we're letting go of things in the world, which some people protest. That you know, just means that we live a life life of radical renunciation, just let go of everything. That there's some value to that for sure. But but it's not letting go of things. That's the object of Buddhist practice. It's letting go of the clinging to things is letting go of the grasping in the mind. And whether or not we let go of things or even people sometimes is, is secondary. It's that that we use our wisdom to know what's best to do there. But that doesn't take much wisdom to appreciate that we're better off not having clinging or grasping in the mind. And the people we do cling to, they really appreciate it many times when we can be with them and love them without clinging to them. So if you learn to let go of the clinging, life becomes a whole different game. And importantly, it as we learn not to cling, this absence of this activity, of clinging of grasping this non doing of clinging and grasping, that were lowers the tendency to be caught in delusion and hatred and greed. And we begin seeing how the movement towards the illusion towards greed towards hatred comes along with with the activity of the mind activity of the heart of contraction of tightness of clinging, of tension that is just not good for us. And do we really feel and recognize that because

we're really in touch with ourselves gives us the opportunity To recognize something different, the absence of clinging, and how good that is, and how our view of the world changes, if we're seeing the world through the lens of non clinging, rather than seeing it through the lens of clinging, seeing the world through the lens of non greed, non hatred and non delusion, it is possible to do this. And it's more valuable to that to do this than a lot of other human pursuits more valuable than becoming rich, more valuable than having by no popularity and all kinds of things. So I wish you much much happiness and peace and well being and, and I know that the greatest happiness and peace that's available to you will come when you when you really let go and release the clinging and grasping in the mind and free yourself of greed, hatred and delusion. And may it be so. So thank you for this series and being part of this and listening and I look forward to being back with you in two weeks. So thank you