RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering
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What is the origin of
suffering? It is craving, which brings renewal of being, is accompanied
by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is, craving for
sensual pleasures, craving for being, and craving for non-being. (MN 9)
When one does not know and understand odors as they actually are, then
one is attached to odors. When one is attached, one becomes infatuated,
and one’s craving increases. One’s bodily and mental troubles increase,
and one experiences bodily and mental suffering. (MN 149)
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The classical
teaching of the noble truths is described in this text by cycling
through all six sense spheres one by one, pointing to how suffering
arises and ceases in countless individual experiences. Suffering is not a
broad concept, but an intimate and fleeting experience. Every time you
are experiencing something and craving it in some way, you are creating a
micro-event of suffering. Today we are considering suffering in
relation to the sense of smell.
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Smell is
perhaps the least used of all the senses, but it is not to be overlooked
as a field for practice. Are you capable of smelling odors without at
the same time saying to yourself on some level: “This one is good";
"This one is bad"; "I want more of this one"; "I want this one to go
away"? This is the invitation to practice. See if you can experience
odors simply as what they are and not in relation to your desire for or
against.
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Tomorrow: Cultivating Compassion
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering
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