འཕགས་པ་ལྷག་པའ་བསམ་པ་བརྟན་པའ་ལའ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 5

5

they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, this may be illustrated as follows: suppose a man were to fall asleep and dream that the ruler’s wife is in his home and that he lies down with her. Because his presence of mind is impaired, he wonders if he might be killed,¹⁹ and having had that idea, the thought ‘Has the king not found out? He will come and murder me!’²⁰ frightens him and he flees in terror. What do you think about this? By being frightened and fleeing in terror, do you think he would free himself of the fear he has because of the ruler’s wife?”

“He would not, Blessed One,” he replied. “Why is that? Blessed One, it is because that man has perceived a woman where there was no woman and has imagined something that did not truly exist.”

The Blessed One said, “Noble son, here there are some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen who perceive desire where no desire exists. Afraid of the perils of desire, they seek escape from desire. They likewise perceive hatred where no hatred exists, and perceive ignorance where no ignorance exists. Afraid of the perils of ignorance, they seek escape from ignorance. They should be seen as just like that man. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, in the analogy it is like this: where nothing exists, that man superimposes something, thereby perceiving peril where there is no peril. Likewise, noble son, not knowing what the extent of desire is, childish ordinary beings are afraid of the perils of the extent of desire and seek escape from the extent of desire.²¹ Not knowing that the extent of hatred is the extent of nothing whatsoever, they are afraid of the perils of the extent of hatred

they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, this may be illustrated as follows: suppose a man were to fall asleep and dream that the ruler’s wife is in his home and that he lies down with her. Because his presence of mind is impaired, he wonders if he might be killed,¹⁹ and having had that idea, the thought ‘Has the king not found out? He will come and murder me!’²⁰ frightens him and he flees in terror. What do you think about this? By being frightened and fleeing in terror, do you think he would free himself of the fear he has because of the ruler’s wife?”

“He would not, Blessed One,” he replied. “Why is that? Blessed One, it is because that man has perceived a woman where there was no woman and has imagined something that did not truly exist.”

The Blessed One said, “Noble son, here there are some bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, laymen, and laywomen who perceive desire where no desire exists. Afraid of the perils of desire, they seek escape from desire. They likewise perceive hatred where no hatred exists, and perceive ignorance where no ignorance exists. Afraid of the perils of ignorance, they seek escape from ignorance. They should be seen as just like that man. I do not say of such foolish people that they are cultivating the path; they should be said to be on the wrong course.

“Noble son, in the analogy it is like this: where nothing exists, that man superimposes something, thereby perceiving peril where there is no peril. Likewise, noble son, not knowing what the extent of desire is, childish ordinary beings are afraid of the perils of the extent of desire and seek escape from the extent of desire.²¹ Not knowing that the extent of hatred is the extent of nothing whatsoever, they are afraid of the perils of the extent of hatred