Excellent observations!
I think the following statement by Christian captures the critical issue that most people are unable to overcome: “what I mean here is that something being unreal is not ultimate reality/argument in the context of Sansara because things unreal can still be enjoyed,”
- This is why smokers cannot give up smoking, alcoholics cannot give up alcohol, or drug addicts cannot give up drugs.
- Most of them know that those habits are bad for their health, and they may even die if they keep up with those habits. But the ‘temporary enjoyment’ overcomes their reasoning.
- Upon attaining Buddhahood, the Buddha realized that it would not be easy to teach his newfound truth about the ‘sensory pleasures’ to people who are blinded by ‘sensory pleasures’. See “Brahmāyācana Sutta (SN 6.1)“.
- Anyway, I have realized it is a waste of time to keep arguing about certain aspects. This is also why I decided to stay away from other discussion forums like Dhamma Wheel.
P.S. The sad thing is that those ‘sensual pleasures’ are mind-made in two ways, which feed on each other: (i) Paticca Samuppada cannot generate matter with inherently colorful, tasteful, etc., qualities. So it ‘creates’ a world that seems attractive by inducing ‘distorted sanna‘ in all living beings via the ‘bhavanga state’ associated with each existence. (ii) That ‘mild sensation of liking’ generated via the ‘distorted sanna‘ is again amplified automatically in the ‘purana kamma‘ stage. Together, these two make the world seem ‘full of sensory attractions’. These are subtle but critical issues. I discussed the first in “Critical Role of Saññā in Mind Contamination” and the second in “Assāda (Sense Pleasure) Experienced Is Mostly Mind-Made.”
- This is why it is not that easy to comprehend the First Noble Truth, the ‘truth about suffering’.
- Furthermore, if one does not believe in rebirth, it is harder to see the logical steps. Most scientists and philosophers start with the assumption that life is limited to the current life and death is the ultimate end; so they can never ‘see the truth’ until they overcome their wrong view.
