#Buddhist

When you seek pleasure in the material elements, you seek pleasure in suffering.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, if you take pleasure in the earth element, you take pleasure in suffering. If you take pleasure in suffering, I say you’re not exempt from suffering. If you take pleasure in the water element … If you take pleasure in the fire element … If you take pleasure in the air element, you take pleasure in suffering. [Read More]

If the material elements were solely painful, beings would not get attached. If they were solely pleasurable, it would be impossible to become detached. At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, if the earth element were exclusively painful—soaked and steeped in pain and not steeped in pleasure—sentient beings wouldn’t love it. But because the earth element is pleasurable—soaked and steeped in pleasure and not steeped in pain—sentient beings do love it. If the water element … If the fire element … If the air element … If the earth element were exclusively pleasurable—soaked and steeped in pleasure and not steeped in pain—sentient beings wouldn’t grow disillusioned with it. [Read More]

Each of the three aspects of the four material elements performs its own function. Gratification stimulates desire; drawbacks lead to disillusionment, while escape opens the possibility of freedom.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, if there were no gratification in the earth element, sentient beings wouldn’t love it. But because there is gratification in the earth element, sentient beings do love it. If the earth element had no drawback, sentient beings wouldn’t grow disillusioned with it. [Read More]

The Buddha set out to discover the gratification, the drawback, and the escape in the four material elements, and found it.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, I went in search of the earth element’s gratification, and I found it. I’ve seen clearly with wisdom the full extent of gratification in the earth element. I went in search of the earth element’s drawback, and I found it. I’ve seen clearly with wisdom the full extent of the drawback in the earth element. [Read More]

Before his awakening the Buddha saw the gratification, the drawback, and the escape in the four material elements.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought: ‘What’s the gratification, the drawback, and the escape when it comes to the earth element … the water element … the fire element … and the air element?’ Then it occurred to me: ‘The pleasure and happiness that arise from the earth element: this is its gratification. [Read More]

Those of bad qualities associate together, while those of good qualities associate together.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, sentient beings come together and converge because of an element: those of wrong view with those of wrong view … wrong thought … wrong speech … wrong action … wrong livelihood … wrong effort … wrong mindfulness … wrong immersion … wrong knowledge … wrong freedom … Those who have right view … right thought … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right immersion … right knowledge … right freedom with those who have right freedom. [Read More]

Those of bad qualities associate together, while those of good qualities associate together.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, sentient beings come together and converge because of an element: those of wrong view with those of wrong view … wrong thought … wrong speech … wrong action … wrong livelihood … wrong effort … wrong mindfulness … wrong immersion … Those who have right view … right thought … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right immersion with those who have right immersion. [Read More]

Those of bad qualities associate together, while those of good qualities associate together.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, sentient beings come together and converge because of an element: those who kill living creatures with those who kill living creatures, those who steal … commit sexual misconduct … lie … speak divisively … speak harshly … talk nonsense … are covetous … are malicious … have wrong view … Those who refrain from killing living creatures … who refrain from stealing … who refrain from sexual misconduct … who refrain from lying … who refrain from divisive speech … who refrain from harsh speech … who refrain from talking nonsense … are not covetous … are not malicious … have right view with those who have right view. [Read More]

Those of bad qualities associate together, while those of good qualities associate together.At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, sentient beings come together and converge because of an element: those who kill living creatures with those who kill living creatures, those who steal … commit sexual misconduct … lie … speak divisively … speak harshly … talk nonsense … Those who refrain from killing living creatures. … who refrain from stealing … who refrain from sexual misconduct … who refrain from lying … who refrain from divisive speech … who refrain from harsh speech … who refrain from talking nonsense with those who refrain from talking nonsense. [Read More]