Deadly Weapons and the Middle Way (part 2)

In this country the rebels live in the border region between China and Myanmar, they take up their weapons and rebel against the government’s army. In this way they are inviting trouble. Not only do they have to fight with the government but also with other rebel groups. There is no area where the rebels stay safety near the border. The only way for them to be safe is to retreat from the hostile border region.
This is a good example of how the process of suffering begins. First of all there is the mind, then we have our body with its eyes and ears and other senses. The sense doors are also like a war zone, they are always in contact with the environment, like the rebels and their enemies. If our mind is always connecting with our senses, it will never be at peace - just like the rebels. Only when the mind completely retreats from the hostile border region of the sense doors will it be able to find peace apart from realm of suffering, which is Nirvana.


Meditation with ‘knowing nothing’ means practicing to stay without going to the border region of the sense doors. By knowing nothing, the mind resides in the heart center making no connection with the rebels in the border region. In this way you are safe and experience peace of mind. If you connect with the rebels it means you are looking for trouble. Like, dislike, and non-enlightenment are what keep connecting you with the rebels. Without the knowing of nothing, being interest in something will take your mind to the border region and it is the cause of suffering.