Seeking Pleasure Prevents Transformation

This talk is a meditation practice. What one needs to do is listen attentively, without getting stuck in words, examine the mind in silence, no agree or disagree, just look at the mind as it is. Doing so is already a meditation practice.

**Note: If the mind is not really peaceful now, it might not be a perfect moment to listen to this podcast, be aware of the emotions or reactions that can block one from listenING ATTENTIVELY.

Transcript

What is the real challenge of transformation?

Look at our life.

There are so many distractions in life.

To live a life peacefully,

The mind has to stand against all those distractions in life.

All these distractions bring about pleasure to the mind.

Where there's pleasure,

There's desire.

It's very difficult to resist to the pleasure.

For most people living on this planet,

Pleasure becomes extremely important.

The speaker doesn't deny the pleasure,

But why does the pleasure become so important?

To most people,

Pleasure becomes the meaning of life.

Such a life is always seeking pleasure in all kinds of ways to keep the mind happy in that hope.

What is pleasure?

Does pleasure mean happiness,

Joy?

Or pleasure is something different from joy,

Happiness?

Pleasure comes from the thoughts.

Some thoughts can make people satisfied,

Fulfilled,

Privileged.

It is rather easy to cultivate through thoughts.

Look around this whole world in different societies,

In different cultures.

People have different thoughts,

Different mental constructs in order to cultivate the pleasure to keep the mind up.

We hope so.

What they had hoped is not a fact.

Such a hope is very intuitive when people are living in thoughts.

Thoughts have become so important for human beings because thoughts can bring about pleasure.

Look at the theater,

The literature,

All kinds of things.

In all these,

All kinds of entertainment programs,

Movies,

Novels,

Stories,

All kinds of thoughts,

Thought products,

Is to bring this pleasure.

The mind takes pleasure from thoughts in all kinds of ways.

The mind mistakes the pleasure for joy.

So the mind starts seeking pleasure from thoughts in a hope to maintain the pleasure,

To pursue something eternal subconsciously.

So the thoughts have become so sticky.

The mind is so into the thoughts,

Wanting to have this permanent pleasure.

But the pleasure only stays for a moment,

Because thoughts only stay for a moment.