need to watch the mind, as that phase of practice has been completed.
Through such meditation, no matter what kind of suffering arises, the
experience is like meeting an old acquaintance in the middle of the market place.
Whatever painful thoughts arise, in their very appearing, they are known through
familiarization to be baseless and rootless, and thus left alone, they arise and just
vanish by themselves. So no matter how great the suffering, when we experience
it in the timeless moment of pure presence, it turns into happiness. We have no
need to confirm this with anyone else, for we experience it ourselves. Further, we
should look into the nature of mind not just when we suffer but also when we are
very happy. When happiness is seen as a concrete thing, then attachment
gradually increases, and in this way, in turn it becomes the root of suffering.
2.6. THE CAUSE OF MANIFEST SUFFERING IS HOPE AND FEAR
Hope for fame, wealth, and pleasure, and fear of robbers, thieves, and disease—
this is our lot as ordinary beings. So long as there is hope of happiness or fear of
pain, suffering is not eliminated. We accumulate wealth for our own benefit in
this life and look for fame, health, and so forth. We are always attached to these
things, and if we already possess them, we try to hold on to them. If we do not
possess them, we are constantly thinking about how to obtain them, scheming and
plotting. When we have what we want, we fear losing it, so with lots of hard work
we protect it and in the process risk offending others.
Consider the Mahabharata epic of the Hindus. This story is so long that it can be
narrated for months on end. It is one of the longest and best stories in the world,
containing both worldly and religious advice. It provides moral instruction and
advice on manners, respect for elders and spouses, and on the raising of children.
It gives very good advice based on truth. In short it is the story of a conflict between
truth and falsehood, where the truth is reality and falsehood is delusion. It shows
how to win such a war, and since the war is waged on behalf of reality, it is a
virtuous war. Attachment to reality—the nature of mind—is noble attachment, but
in buddha-dharma, it is taught that the root of suffering is attachment. Whether
the Mahabharata shows noble attachment to the body and primal awareness of
reality, or the ignoble attachment of subduing enemies and cherishing kith and
kin, the truth is that both are attachments and hence the very root of suffering.
As it is said in the Avatamsaka Sutra,
Wherever an objective is reified,
It becomes a bone of contention for demons.So long as there is an objective to focus upon or become attached to, there can
never be any attainment of the happiness of liberation. This has been emphasized
in the sutras and tantras. In the war of the Mahabharata, attachment to truth and
dharma caused the death of many thousands of people, both kings and subjects. In
the Vinaya of Bhagawan Buddha, it is said,