to thoroughly investigate each aspect until all doubts have been
eliminated. Once that happens, even strong attachments^8 that
are difficult to break will evaporate and disappear in the blink of
an eye. All that’s needed to cut through those oppressive doubts
is wisdom that is sharp and incisive. In all the three worlds of
existence there is no more effective, up-to-date means for con-
fronting the kilesas than the combination of mindfulness and
wisdom. The Lord Buddha and all the Arahants employed mind-
fulness and wisdom to counteract every kind of kilesa – no other
means was used. The Lord Buddha himself endorsed the unri-
valed supremacy of mindfulness and wisdom as weapons for com-
bating the kilesas. This is not meant to belittle the value of other
spiritual qualities, but they perform an auxiliary role – like provi-
sions of food used to support and maintain the fighting strength
of soldiers in battle. It is the soldiers and their weapons, how-
ever, that are indispensable to the war effort. By soldiers, I mean
those who are absolutely determined never to retreat in the face
of the kilesas and thus slide back into the mire of birth and death
where these defilements can ridicule them once more. The pre-
mier weapons of choice are mindfulness and wisdom. Being effec-
tive at every level of combat, they should always remain close at
hand.
“The points in the course of your practice where the citta
gets stuck, are the points you must examine fearlessly without
concern that the intensity of your efforts to dismantle the cycle
of rebirth will somehow prove fatal. When you face the moment
of death, I want you to die victorious. Don’t allow yourself to die
defeated or else you will continue to suffer for a long time to come.
You must make every effort to fight on until saÿsãra becomes a
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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