A. It doesn’t mean that we should throw lust and greed away in the way we remove waste but that we should realise they are the seeds of enlightenment. Attaining enlightenment doesn’t mean to find it in a special place in the way we find diamonds or gold in mines but means to realise that everything, including lust and greed, is the function of the true-Self. When we don’t see lust and greed as they are, they are called illusions and when we see them as they are, they are called the Buddha, the true-Self. This is why an ancient master said that lust and greed are all Buddhas’ mother and that all Buddhas are children of lust and greed.
Student: “How can I discard lust and greed?”
Master: “Jade is hidden in stone, and a pearl is hidden in a shell.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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