Saṃyuktāgama, Volume 12 (285), Part 5

(Five) Original text:诸比丘。于意云何。譬如油炷然灯。若不增油治炷。非彼灯明未来不生。尽磨灭耶。比丘白佛。如是世尊。如是诸比丘。于所取法观察无常生灭。离欲灭尽舍离。心不顾念。心不缚着。爱则灭。爱灭则取灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。

Explanation: The World-Honored One said: Bhikṣus, what do you think about this? For example, if an oil lamp is not given more lamp oil, nor given more oil wick, would not the light of that lamp cease to exist in the future and be entirely extinguished? The bhikṣus said to the Buddha, Yes, World-Honored One. Bhikṣus, it is like this: if you observe the impermanence and the nature of arising and ceasing of the dharmas that you grasp, your mind will depart from craving, extinguish craving, and abandon craving; the mind will no longer dwell upon or be mindful of them, and will not be bound by them; then craving ceases. When craving ceases, grasping ceases; and so on, until the great mass of pure suffering ceases.

Here the World-Honored One uses the lamp light as a metaphor for the great mass of suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and the lamp oil as a metaphor for the afflictions of craving. If we do not add oil to the lamp wick, the oil lamp will be extinguished before long. Likewise, with regard to the great suffering of birth and death, if we no longer add craving and afflictions to it, the craving will gradually fade and disappear, and then suffering will cease. If our craving keeps increasing, the great suffering of birth and death will accumulate more and more—when will we ever be able to end suffering? A person of awakening, amid the suffering of saṃsāra in birth and death, should no longer add afflictions, but should instead increase wisdom, using the fire of wisdom to illuminate and break through the afflictions of craving, until craving is completely severed and liberation is attained.

The method of ending suffering that the World-Honored One taught us is to frequently observe the impermanence and the nature of arising and ceasing of the dharmas that our own mind grasps. When we realize that the five aggregates of the worldly realm that we grasp are indeed subject to arising and ceasing and impermanent, at that time we will continually abandon our craving for the five aggregates of the worldly realm, no longer dwelling upon them or being obstructed by them, and finally completely extinguish craving, so that we are no longer bound, and are thereby liberated from the suffering of birth and death in the world. In cultivation, one should be adept at turning one's thoughts, turning corners, turning one's mind, and transforming afflictions; then wisdom will arise. Once the great fire of wisdom is ablaze, the afflictions are destroyed; without wisdom, afflictions will keep growing. With wisdom, one has everything; without wisdom, there are afflictions and suffering.