Reply To: Seeing danger in the five faculties

#13709
sybe07
Spectator

Hi SengKiat,

I totally agree with the post you refer to. Sense-pleasures are in no way innocent. I can see in my own mind (and also in the mind of others) this addictional habit, this greed for sense-pleasures. People suffer a lot due to this habit.

I never used drugs. I used some alcohol but especially as an adolescent i consumed very much candy and i was fond of sex. Sex was so nice.

I did not see any danger in it and enjoyed the taste of both very much. I eat candy almost any day, a lot, at school, non-stop.

It was a bad respons on my suffering, i belief, but i was not wiser. A lot of times i am still not wiser. I still belief the intention and deeds were not immoral. The view that this indulging in sense-pleasure was a skillful way to deal with my suffering, that was wrong.

But there was also immorality involved, because sometimes i did steal the candy or i did steal money to buy candy. Or sometimes i was so full of lust that i saw a girl as a lust-object. Not good. In the core immorality is due to avijja. We are not wiser. I was not wiser. I can still feel ashamed thinking about certain choices and behaviour.

Now i know that sense-pleasures are not innocent. Anything that triggers the reward-center of the brain, that is potentially dangerous. The brain will ask new reward-inputs. At a certain time the reward-center will ge screaming. This is felt as craving.

One becomes addicted that way and attached to rupa. It is like one is drawn into rupa. One becomes gross. A lot of people with a tendency to become addicted, just like me, get involved in immoral bevaviour without shame anymore. They are hardly accountable for that.

Reward can be anything. Not only candy, or sense-pleasures but also adventures, attention, the feeling of power and also the feeling of being in control which is also very rewarding.

I am not sure this is also true for the faculty of faith, concentration, wisdom, energy and mindfulness. Can they be compared to sense-pleasures?
Can we become addicted to that too? Is that what you mean by seeing danger in them?

Siebe