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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
ardent_abysm Link ParentThe next time you want to do something out of the desire for pleasant sense contacts—pleasing sights, sounds, tastes, tactile sensations, smells, and thoughts—just don't. Engage in restraint of...I have trouble matching up the problems alluded to in this interview with concrete problems that I'm familiar with, so I'm unconvinced.
The next time you want to do something out of the desire for pleasant sense contacts—pleasing sights, sounds, tastes, tactile sensations, smells, and thoughts—just don't. Engage in restraint of the senses. What is it like to sit quietly by yourself without distractions? No phone, no computer, no TV, no book, no significant other, no masturbation, just sitting quietly by yourself in a room with no distractions. How long until you want to see something else, touch something else, taste something else? How long can you sit with that wanting without acting out of that wanting? Is sitting with that wanting comfortable, is it pleasant? Can you imagine sitting alone in a room with no distractions for three days as being pleasant? If not, why?
I suspect that by being "prepared for death," buddhists mean something else, but I don't understand it very well and I'm not sure it's necessary.
Death is not the end in Buddhism. The process that gave rise to birth continues, so after death there is birth. Death is a painful and disorienting process; the things one has held onto as one's self and one's tool to seek happiness can no longer be appropriated. It is becoming unmoored from whatever perception of safety one might have felt through the body and senses. That clinging and thirsting the gave rise to this birth is still present and will give rise to the next birth; an untrained mind that is confused, scared, and desperate won't necessarily be discerning about what it attaches to next.
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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
ardent_abysm Link ParentHere a part of a discourse by the Buddha that explains what is meant by sensuality. The verse portion is particularly important. — AN 6.63 Most people have never not known the burden of sensuality...Here a part of a discourse by the Buddha that explains what is meant by sensuality. The verse portion is particularly important.
“There are these five strings of sensuality. Which five? Forms cognizable via the eye—agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, enticing, linked to sensual desire; sounds cognizable via the ear… aromas cognizable via the nose… flavors cognizable via the tongue… tactile sensations cognizable via the body—agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, enticing, linked to sensual desire. But these are not sensuality. They are called strings of sensuality in the discipline of the noble ones.
The passion for his resolves is a man’s sensuality,
not the beautiful sensual pleasures
found in the world.
The passion for his resolves is a man’s sensuality.\The beauties remain as they are in the world,
while, in this regard,
the enlightened
subdue their desire.\“And what is the cause by which sensuality comes into play? Contact is the cause by which sensuality comes into play.
“And what is the diversity in sensuality? Sensuality with regard to forms is one thing, sensuality with regard to sounds is another, sensuality with regard to aromas is another, sensuality with regard to flavors is another, sensuality with regard to tactile sensations is another. This is called the diversity in sensuality.
— AN 6.63
Most people have never not known the burden of sensuality (the backpack), to the point it isn't recognized as a burden. Their whole experience is imbued with sensuality that it is unnoticed/invisible. There isn't a knowledge of how become unburdened from sensuality, or even that it is an option. The backpack has been on before birth, and there wearer doesn't know how to take it off, or even that it is possible to take off. What is known is that there is a pressure that is felt unpleasantly, and that acting out of that pressure manages the unpleasant feelings, but never actually removes the pressure. It is a constant search for comfort under the weight of the burden.
There are worth while pursuits, but pursuits born of sensuality are inherently dangerous, because the more sensuality is given into, acted out of, the more entangled and trapped within sensuality we become.
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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
ardent_abysm Link ParentThis is an unnecessary concern for this content. The monks that produced the talk and summary transcript have no issue with it being shared non-commercially.This is an unnecessary concern for this content. The monks that produced the talk and summary transcript have no issue with it being shared non-commercially.
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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
ardent_abysm Link ParentThe imagery of consuming is very common in the discourses of the Buddha in relation to the sense and the aggregate. The use of thirst and hunger in this context is referring to something more...This is pushing the party line on Buddhism but here's a reminder that it often contradicts common sense:
Desire is a need, a thirst, a hunger, it pressures you to act. You don't have to act and that's the whole point.
The imagery of consuming is very common in the discourses of the Buddha in relation to the sense and the aggregate. The use of thirst and hunger in this context is referring to something more basic than food and water. For example, taṇha, which is often translated as craving, means thirst. For further discussion on the imagery related to feeding/consuming, I refer you to "Abandon food, having relied on food" in The Shape of Suffering by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.
Ajahn Nyanamoli is not in anyway advocating for mortification.
This doesn't follow. It's good to learn not to be a slave to desires that lead to doing things you regret. But this has little to do with knowing that someday you will be old and sick. You might as well say you shouldn't enjoy fresh fruit when it's in season because winter is coming. That's a reason to enjoy life while you can.
Think about what it means to be old and sick. Your body does work well and the senses diminish. If you only know pleasure through your body and through your sense—acting out of your sensuality—what are you going to do when you can no longer seek please with your body and senses? What is being talked about is preparing for death. For those engrossed in sensuality, death is the losing the only source of pleasure known. Learning that sensuality is not your friend and not to your benefit now prepares you for that time when you can no longer hold onto to your body and senses. Consider that if you are unwilling to prepare for death now while your body and mind have some level of health and vitality, do you think you will be capable of confronting your death when you are weak and sick?
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Comment on No one wants sensuality in ~humanities
ardent_abysm Link ParentWhat is being talked about precedes what you are thinking of. What you gave as examples of pleasurable activities are the acting out of sensuality. The sensuality is what motivates one to act. The...What is being talked about precedes what you are thinking of. What you gave as examples of pleasurable activities are the acting out of sensuality. The sensuality is what motivates one to act. The act might have pleasurable feelings, but the sensuality is not pleasant. This becomes evident if you practice restraint towards your sensuality i.e. not act out of your sensuality. Not acting out of sensuality is commonly mistaken as a source of unpleasant feelings, but it is not the case; it is the sensuality that is unpleasant. Sensuality is painful, so we act to manage that pain. Not acting out of sensuality only makes us more aware of the discomfort of sensuality. An analogy can be a heavy backpack; it burdens the wearer and hurts the wear's body. The wear shifts the backpack around trying to get some relief from the weight, and there are some moments of relief, but never an unburdening. The weight of the backpack is still there; the backpack is painful to wear, even if there are pleasant moments of relief from shifting and squirming under the weight. The real solution is figuring out how to become unburdened.
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No one wants sensuality
A summarized transcription of the video No One Wants Sensuality. Source PDF Q: Bhante, you once said that the only reason one gives into sensuality is because one doesn't want it. What do you mean...
A summarized transcription of the video No One Wants Sensuality.
Source PDFQ: Bhante, you once said that the only reason one gives into sensuality is because one doesn't want it. What do you mean by that?
Ajahn Nyanamoli (Nm): Well, what I meant was that universally, literally every human mind, regardless of the culture, education or religion, when a desire in regard to anything obtainable through the senses arises, that desire is oppressing. Desire is a need, a thirst, a hunger, it pressures you to act. You don't have to act and that's the whole point. As a human being you have a choice. But when desire arises, the automatic response is to give into that pressure of desire, and why would you be giving into the pressure of any desire? It's because it's unpleasant. If the pressure of the desire is neutral or pleasant, you wouldn't then make any effort and spend time trying to gain what your desire wants, because you'll already be at ease. But that desire is already unpleasant and in order for you to try and deal with that displeasure, you just give in to whatever the desire promises. That's what I mean, by engaging in sensuality, you do so to be free from the sensual pressure of the desire. When people say, "No, I enjoy my senses." That's a mistake, because if they were to stop and think, "When there is an unsatisfied desire, is that pleasant? Is that what I want?" They would realise that it isn't, or, "Can I fulfil desire by giving in to it?" No, you can never fulfil desire, because the point of desire is to stay a desire.
Q: It's based on non-satisfaction.
Nm: Exactly, it requires non-satisfaction for it to be. That's why if you stop and think about it you realise the only reason you are engaged with sensuality is because the pressure of sensual desire is unpleasant and you don't know any other escape from that pressure other than the temporary release of sensual indulgence.
That's the whole point, whenever you encounter any form of displeasure, your only way of trying to deal with it is through acts of sensuality, which is why and how people turn to food, music, sexual intercourse or even meditation hoping for some pleasurable experience to lift them up when they're feeling down or depressed, they just commit harder to sensual activity, because that's the only thing that seemingly relieves oneself of that pressure. However, you're just making it worse because the more you're dependent on running away from that pressure of sensual desire, the more pressure that desire will exercise over you.
Q: So what should you do?
Nm: Well,in a way, you don't have to do anything. If you start seeing your own sensual desires as something that's controlling you, something that you are enslaved by, then you have to start seeing that 'nature' before you give into the desire. And then it becomes obvious, clear as day, that it's very unpleasant. Even sometimes when you can satisfy your desires, but maybe not quick enough, that's unpleasant. Either way, that desire is rooted in a disagreeable feeling, i.e. that pressure that's very unpleasant. So if you want to free yourself from it, you have to first start restraining your senses and from making it worse through giving in to that pressure of desire.
You're training yourself to be stronger than something else. But in order to start doing that, you need to start resisting that thing. If you just habitually give into desire, and at the same time expect to somehow magically be free from the pressure of the desire, well that's just a contradiction in terms. Restraint needs to come first if you want to be free from desire. Then the obvious painful nature of the desire in itself becomes apparent. Initially when people start restraining, they notice more pain and they assume that it's because of their restraint. But it isn't. The restraint cannot cause you pain, it can only reveal the underlying pain of the desire that is already there.
Imagine that you're tied to five powerful animals and they are running towards the objects of their desire, you naturally run with them to avoid that extra painful pull that you will experience if you try standing your ground. The animals are stronger than you, they pull you. It's unpleasant. But that doesn't mean that that initial pain is not there if you run with them. Running with them enables them to pull you even harder. So initially, you have to accept that sharp pain of restraint, which eventually you can see that actually it's not the restraint that's the problem, the restraint just shows you what happens when these animals are pulling in their respective domains. If the animals wouldn't be pulling, there wouldn't be any pain revealed by the restraint. Imagine the animals are tamed and calm, and they just move around slowly and you can just remain seated and not have to run with them. You are restrained, the senses are tamed and there is no pull, no pain.
It's something anybody could benefit from, just learning how to say no to themselves, gradually, in regards to this and that, in regard to unnecessary things like luxuries and indulgences. Because each time you give in carelessly like that, the animals get more to feed on which means they get more powerful, which means each time they pull you, you'll be less and less able to resist those desires.
Quite often, and I'm pretty sure many people can relate, your own desires take you to places you don't want to be, that you know you will regret even before you go there, yet you can't help it and you're just dragged there. How will it then be when old age or sickness sets in? When your senses start to fail, yet your mind is fully dependent on that pleasure that you get from that temporary satisfaction of your desires. When the only resemblance of relief from any disagreeable feelings, is now taken away. When the senses can't enjoy sense objects anymore, when eyes can barely see, when it's hard to hear, when it's difficult to chew, when the body doesn't move correctly, when it's not young and doesn't have that much energy. Yet your mind is dependent on that constant chasing after sense pleasures and now that's just taken away. How will it be when the unpleasant feelings arise, and they will, and you have even less ground to deal with it.
Q: It will feel like an unwanted solitary confinement.
Nm: Exactly. That's why people are terrified of solitude. They can no longer escape what they have been running away from.
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The understanding of sensuality is a bit different than the one used within the transcript. Sensuality is not the pleasant feeling sense contacts. Rather, what is meant by sensuality is the passion and resolve directed towards the senses. An abandonment of this sense of sensuality doesn't prevent the acknowledgment of the pleasantness of a sense contact, but rather that there is no delight, anticipation, or passion for sense contact.