On Fire

SN 35.28

One time the Buddha was at Gayāhead, in Gayā with a thousand seekers. He said,

“Seekers, everything is on fire.

What is ‘everything’?

The eye, sights, the awareness that sees, the contact between them, and the pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling tones arising from contact. All of this is burning with the flames of craving, hatred and ignorance. It’s all burning with the fires of birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, pain, sadness and despair.

The ear and sounds are on fire. The nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, body and touch, mind and thought, are all on fire.

When a well-trained student sees this, they get disenchanted with the senses and whatever they sense. They get tired of sense awareness, contact and what comes from contact, no matter if its pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.

When this happens they become dispassionate and are freed.

Then they know birth has ended. Their spiritual journey is over. They did what they had to do and there’s no going back.”

This is what the Buddha said and the seekers were happy. During the talk their hearts were freed of the poisons by letting go of clinging.