Dhamma Talk 3:”Trapped in thought…Life goes nowhere”
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa (3 times)
Blessings to all of you seeking spiritual freedom…
Today, I’d like to invite you all to explore the “social media world” within our own minds. Have you noticed that these days, we are living in the midst of a war… not a war of weapons, but a “war of thoughts”? Open Facebook, and you see people cursing each other about politics. Open Twitter (X), and you find people sarcastic about society. Open TikTok, and there are comment sections debating beliefs. This person says one thing is right, that person says another is wrong. One side praises, the other insults… it’s chaotic.
We ourselves, sometimes we unintentionally jump into the fray with them, don’t we? When someone praises us, we feel puffed up, floating on air. When someone curses us, or curses something we believe in, we get angry, hot-headed, wanting to type a response to settle the score.
These symptoms, you see, are what the Buddha called “fish caught in a net.” Today, I will take you to know the “largest net in the universe” through a sutra called the “Brahmajala Sutta,” the sutra that will reveal why we suffer because of thoughts and how we can get out of this net.
1. First Lesson: Emotional Immunity
The story begins in the Buddha’s time, during a long journey from Rajagaha to Nalanda. A pair of ascetics from another religion were walking behind the Buddha. One was the teacher, named Suppiya. He walked along cursing the Buddha, cursing the Dhamma, cursing the Sangha the whole way. “The ascetic Gotama is not good in this way, the Dhamma is not true in that way.” But the other one was the student, named Brahmadatta, who walked along arguing with his own teacher. “Teacher, don’t say that. The Buddha is excellent, the Dhamma is superb.”
Imagine the scene… the monks walking in front, and behind them the sound of people arguing, one cursing, one praising, all the way. When they reached the resting place, the monks gathered and talked, “It’s amazing, two people look at the same thing but see it as differently as sky and abyss.”
The Buddha came and heard this, so he taught the most valuable “subject of mental immunity” to them. He said… “Monks, if anyone should criticize me, criticize the Dhamma, or criticize the Sangha… you should not harbor hatred, should not be displeased, should not feel slighted, should not hold a grudge. Because if you are angry… danger will arise for you yourselves.” And conversely, “If anyone should praise us… you should not be overjoyed, should not be so happy that your heart dances. Because that too would be a danger to you.”
Why is anger forbidden? Because anger makes us “lose mindfulness” so we don’t know if what they are cursing about is true or false. If they curse falsely, and we get angry, we cannot clarify the truth with a clouded mind. Why is being overjoyed forbidden? Because praise is often “sugar-coated poison.” It makes us get carried away, forgetting to examine ourselves.
First Moral Principle: You see… in an era where people are ready to curse and praise us through the screen, I ask that you have a mind that is “still” like a mountain. Who curses… listen to it as just a “sound.” If it’s not true, clarify with reason. Who praises… know it as just “wind from the mouth.” Acknowledge it and let it go. Don’t entrust your heart to anyone’s mouth or to anyone’s fingertips typing on a keyboard.
2. Morality: The Foundation Ordinary People See (But Still Not the Ultimate)
Next, the Buddha said that when ordinary people praise the Buddha, they praise only matters of “morality” (Sila). They praise that the Buddha does not kill animals, does not steal, does not lie, speaks politely, eats one meal a day, does not watch entertainments, does not accumulate high and luxurious beds… these things are called “Cula Sila” (Minor Morality).
But there is a group of morality that I want to emphasize for you in this era to hear, which is “Maha Sila” (Great Morality). The Buddha said that some ascetics and Brahmins, having eaten the food of the villagers, still earn a living through “animal arts” (low arts), such as reading limbs, interpreting dreams, reading lucky times, predicting lunar eclipses, earthquakes, predicting if rain will be scarce or if there will be floods. Some are doctors who cast spells, sprinkle holy water, blow fire, give auspicious times for marriage, auspicious times for divorce.
The Buddha stated clearly that “The Tathagata abstains from these matters.” Do you startle when you hear this? In this era, the “Mutelu” (supernatural beliefs) line is strong. We like to have our fortunes told, we like to fix karma, we like to ask for auspicious times and blessings. I’m not saying it’s forbidden to do it, but the Buddha is warning us that “that is not the way to freedom from suffering.”
If fortune-telling could really make people rich, there would be no poor people in this world. If exorcising bad luck could really make people recover from illness, hospitals would all go bankrupt. True Buddhists must believe in the “Law of Karma,” which is action. Do good… you will receive good. Be diligent… you won’t starve. Be mindful… you won’t make mistakes. This is true sacredness. No need to wait and beg from any deity.
3. The Net of Views (The Trap of Views)
We come to the most important part, which is the name of this sutra: “Brahmajala” (The Supreme Net). The Buddha said that what ordinary people do not see, but he sees, is “the trap of thoughts” or “views” (Ditthi).
In this world, there are many beliefs (62 sects at that time), but summarized briefly for you to understand easily, there are only 2 main groups that we often get stuck in, which are:
Group 1: Those stuck in the past (Eternalism/Sassataditthi). These believe that “myself, what belongs to me is permanent and certain.” Die and be reborn. This soul is immortal. God created the world. This world is permanent. People who think like this will cling to themselves very much. “This is my dignity,” “This is my country,” “This is my religion.” No one can touch it. They will get angry, will protect, will fight and kill each other. These are the fish caught in the net on the past side.
Group 2: Those anxious about the future (Annihilationism/Ucchedaditthi). These believe that “die and become extinct.” There is no merit, no sin. Life has only this one life. Whatever you want to do, hurry up and do it. Whatever you want to scoop up, hurry up and scoop it up. People who think like this tend to live carelessly, or else get stressed and worried about where they will go after death, or else become selfish because they don’t believe in the results of karma. These are the fish caught in the net on the future side.
The Buddha made a very interesting comparison. He said that the ascetics and Brahmins, the leaders of sects who argue until their necks are stiff about whether the world is permanent or not permanent, whether one is reborn after death or becomes extinct… “All are like fish swimming in deep water and covered by a fisherman’s cast net.” Those fish, however much they jump and leap, however they argue, however they show off their powers… they are jumping inside the net! There is no escape. The more they struggle, the more they get entangled, the more they suffer.
What is the “net” that covers us? The Buddha revealed that the net is woven from threads called “contact” (Phassa). Because the eye has forms to see, the ear has sounds to hear, the mind has thoughts to think… we therefore have feelings (Vedana). When happy… we want (Tanha). Then we grasp that “this is my happiness.” When suffering… we hate (Tanha). Then we grasp that “I hate this thing.”
We argue to death about politics, society, celebrities… actually, we are not arguing for the truth, but we are arguing to satisfy our own “feelings.” We cling to our views (Upadana) that “I am right, you are wrong.” That’s it… we are fish thrashing in the net of Samsara (cycle of rebirth).
4. The Way Out for the Enlightened One (The Freedom)
And where is the Buddha in this net? He said, “The Tathagata’s body has the craving that would lead to becoming cut off.”
The Buddha is like a person standing on the shore, seeing the net covering the fish. He realizes that… Oh… this is thought (view). This thought comes from feeling. This feeling comes from contact. He “does not go in and cling” to any views at all. He doesn’t say he grasps the left side or grasps the right side, but knows the truth and lets go of that clinging and grasping. When not clinging, the mind is free (Vimutti), escaping from Mara’s net.
Concluding Summary: Stop Being a Fish and Get Up on the Shore
All of you… today that we have listened to the Brahmajala Sutta, I don’t want you to memorize the names of all 62 views, but I want you to remember “self-awareness.”
Next time… when you scroll through your phone screen and find a post that makes you “hot under the collar,” or find a comment that curses you, set your mindfulness and tell yourself… “Oh… the fish in my heart is struggling again.”
We are about to get caught in the “anger” trap again, aren’t we? We are about to get caught in the “view” trap that clings to I am sure, I am good, again, aren’t we?
Step back and look. See that it’s just a thought, it’s just a feeling. Don’t jump down to play in the game of defilements. Don’t let anyone press the remote control of your mind to make you angry or make you deluded.
A noble life is a free life. Free from people’s words, free from gullible beliefs, and free from one’s own clinging thoughts.
May all of you be people with wisdom, cutting the net of delusion with the sword of mindfulness, leading yourselves out of the snare of suffering, to meet true peace and coolness, which is Nibbana, in the future time ahead.
Blessings.
