Page 41 - Because I know, I can let go

Even making merit is a business deal, so we Monks are no better than anyone
else. Monks and Novices still have feelings of losing, breaking even, or making
gains. We’re still as crazy as anyone else, we’re no better, still have misperception
and are obsessed with those three concepts. If that isn’t the case then that
Monk won’t be in the same boat as everyone else.

‘Monk’ means a person who’s finished, who’s completely given up the
householder life, given up the home life, gone to the forest and developed

nippetikapākiyasaññā, that is, he has the perception of ‘breaking through,’
he’s broken through the defilements of greed, anger, and delusion, and has
discarded the infatuation with losing, with breaking even, with making gains.

For the feelings of losing, of breaking even, or of making gains to appear one

must have the roots of craving, taṇhā, and clinging, upādāna. If there’s no
tanhā there’s no upādāna either, then the concepts of losing, breaking even,
or gaining, can’t arise, such perceptions cannot appear. As with the arahant,

who doesn’t feel that they lose, break even, or make gains. Why is that the
case? It’s because they have no foolish desires, so when they do anything
they do it with satipaññā, with mindfulness and wisdom. They know that they
have a duty towards others, to help them to quench dukkha, or to help them
to dwell with metta, friendliness, and karuna, compassion, free of any desire

for gain. Hence the feelings of losing, of breaking even, of making gains, don’t
arise for them.

For one who’s yet to get rid of the defilement of craving, of taṇhā, they’re aim
will be to get, to gain, and because religion is a ‘good’ thing, then, although
such an one will respect the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha they’ll do
that to help them get whatever it is they want. Such a one still has the kilesa
of taṇhā masquerading as their ‘self,’ and doesn’t have Dhamma to protect

them, they still have attā, have that ‘self’ which arises from the defilements,
from tanhā and upādāna, that’s what constitutes their ‘self.’

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