“Monks, all is aflame…eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, all aflame…” So says the Buddha in the Adittapariya Sutta—The Fire Sermon. The Heart Sutra tells us all these things are empty. But empty as they may be, that’s little comfort when they cause, or are caused by fear. Fear is a response to a threat—fight, flight, and freeze are the typical involuntary responses to the threat.
But what about when the perceived threat doesn’t pose actual imminent danger—something short of a hungry tiger when you’re wearing a suit made of meat? The virtually global siege mentality that is prevalent today is based on that type of fear. People are so enchanted with eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind…and most of all ideas about them and the perception of “meaning” we assign to them. Feelings of hatred and envy, perceptions of self and other, belief that these feelings and perceptions have some permanence and reflect reality are all inflamed.
They aren’t just dreams, they’re nightmares. Not drops of dew, but tsunamis. Not flashes of lightning, but nuclear explosions. Since they’re all subject to causes and conditions, are characterized by emptiness.
What can we as individuals do about this inflammatory speech, thoughts, and actions? We can contribute our small part to help douse the flames. One small glass of water won’t douse a forest fire, but eight billion glasses could. If we don’t know what our metaphorical glass of water is, we can at least not spew gasoline on the flames, and do no harm.
Won Yong Sunmin gave the New Year Dharma talk at One Mind Zen on January 3, 2024.
