“Every human being and animal on this planet suffers dukkha
as a matter of course. Don’t misunderstand the cause of this suf-
fering: it is caused by those very kilesas that you seem to think
are so insignificant and harmless. I have examined the origins of
birth, death and suffering with all the mindfulness and wisdom
at my disposal. Only one cause induces the hearts of living beings
to seek a place in the realm of birth and death experiencing vari-
ous degrees of pain and suffering, and that cause is the kilesas that
people everywhere overlook. In truth, they are the principal insti-
gators. All of you who have kilesas ruling over your hearts, what is
your attitude? Do you also consider them unimportant? If so, then
no matter how long you live under my guidance, you will always
be like the ladle in a pot of delicious stew. If you want to be able
to taste the flavor of that stew, then you must listen with keen
interest to the Dhamma that I teach you and fully take it to heart.
Don’t act like ladles and obstruct my teaching by failing to appre-
ciate its value. Otherwise, you will live and die having nothing of
value to show for it. Which is worse than being animals, whose
flesh and skins are at least of some value when they die. Heedless
people are always worthless – alive or dead.
“Since this illness began, I have reminded you constantly
that I am slowly dying, day by day. When a person transcends
dukkha he is perfectly satisfied in every respect, and so he dies
free of all concerns. Forever unblemished, he has nothing further
to attain, for nothing is missing from his sense of perfect satisfac-
tion. But someone who dies while under the influence of the kile-
sas, which are never satisfied, will find the same sense of dissatis-
faction clinging to his heart wherever he is reborn. The stronger
the influence of the kilesas, the more intense the dukkha he will
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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