Hoa Vo Uu (Buddha Dharma Education Association)
Venerable Shravasti Dhammika
The Buddha’s Words of Wisdom
Citta the householder said to the monks: “Suppose a black steer and a white steer were tied together by a rope or yoke. Now, if one were to say that the black steer was the fetter of the white one, or that the white steer was the fetter of the black one, would one be speaking rightly?”
“No, they would not, householder. They are fetter by the rope or yoke.”
“Well, in the same way, monks, the eye is not the fetter of objects, nor is the object the fetter of the eye. Rather, the desire and craving that arises owing to the pair of them, that is the fetter. The ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the mind and thoughts are not the fetters, but rather the desire and craving that arises owing to the pairs of them, that is the fetter.”
“Good for you, householder, well said. You have the eye of wisdom that is consistent with the Buddha’s deep teaching.”
