Salaam.
Salaam.
Salaam.
Welcome to Buddha Sangha.
Today we will do Anguttara Nikaya's Sutta No.
3.
82.
It is from the book of the threes,
Sutta No.
82.
The Donkey.
Big Goose.
Suppose a donkey was following right behind a herd of cattle thinking,
I am a cow too.
I am a cow too.
But his appearance would not be like that of the cows.
His brain would not be like that of the cows.
And his footprints would not be like that of the cows.
Yet he follows right behind a herd of cattle thinking,
I am a cow too.
I am a cow too.
So too,
A bhikkhu might be following right behind the sangha of bhikkhus thinking,
I am a bhikkhu too.
I am a bhikkhu too.
But his desire to undertake the training in the higher virtuous behaviour is not like that of the other bhikkhus.
His desire to undertake the training in the higher mind is not like that of the other bhikkhus.
His desire to undertake the training in the higher wisdom is not like that of the other bhikkhus.
Yet he follows right behind the sangha of bhikkhus thinking,
I am a bhikkhu too.
I am a bhikkhu too.
Therefore bhikkhus,
You should train yourselves thus.
We will have a keen desire to undertake the training in the higher virtuous behaviour.
We will have a keen desire to undertake the training in the higher mind.
And we will have a keen desire to undertake the training in higher wisdom.
It is in this way that you should train yourselves.
Homework for you.
Are you a donkey?
You check.
Many people walk on the spiritual path thinking,
Oh I am a spiritual person too.
I am a spiritual person too.
But they are not keen on taking up the training in transforming themselves by only doing virtuous deeds,
By only having virtuous speech and by only having virtuous thoughts.
They are not interested in training themselves in virtuousness.
They feel that okay,
Others can train and I can just follow along.
But I don't want to change myself.
You have seen such people around you?
Yeah?
Now do a self-examination.
Are you like that?
Are you here only because of peer pressure?
Are you here only because my best friend or my husband or my wife or my brother or my sister is doing this so I want to do this?
They will think good about me.
She will pat me on the back.
He will say all good stuff about me that,
Oh I am a spiritual person.
Then you are a donkey.
You check yourself.
It is very important that you have a keen desire then only you walk this path.
Otherwise you are wasting your own precious time.
Might as well go back into that material world and make some money.
You will get money.
You will get name,
Fame.
You will have a little more relationships,
A little more fun in the material world.
And when you get tired of that material world,
When you start looking for the real purpose of life,
When you start seeing the futility in things,
Then maybe it will be the right time for you to step into spirituality.
So you check.
Do you have a keen desire to inculcate virtuous behaviour?
To have and move towards a higher mind and to move towards higher wisdom.
If any of these three are lacking in you,
Maybe you are not ready yet.
Don't be a donkey.
Again,
Don't believe me.
Don't believe the dutha.
You experiment with your own mind.
That by just running behind the sangha,
Being in the company of all the spiritual people,
But by not practising,
Aren't you noticing that you are not growing while others around you are growing really?
It's time for you to examine your own self,
Experiment with your own mind and arrive at your own truth.
Be your own light.
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