"This practice of training the heart is very important in that it forms the source of all goodness and merit; and whatever is the source of goodness and merit deserves special care and attention. The heart is a vessel for all that is good. When the heart is pure, any meritorious actions you may perform externally will truly foster happiness. External merit is like a tasty curry. If it's served in a filthy dish, then even though the curry may be delicious, the person eating it won't want to eat his fill because of the filth. But if the dish is clean and the curry delicious, the person eating is likely to eat with confidence to his heart's content. In the same way, if the heart is clean, it will find itself attracted to performing externally meritorious actions. It will always be ready to make sacrifices, because in every case it will taste the nourishment of its goodness.
~
Not only that, a clean heart also forms the path for release from stress and suffering, leading ultimately to nibbana. Those who are to reach the paths (magga) and fruitions (phala) leading to nibbana will do so by way of the heart. If the heart isn't trained, then no matter how much external goodness you may have, you won't be able to reach nibbana. Nibbana can be attained only by training the heart in the practice of virtue, concentration, and discernment. Virtue forms the basis for concentration; concentration, the basis for discernment; and discernment, the basis for release..."
❀❀❀
No comments:
Post a Comment