Is There More to Choice Than Avoiding the Burning Pit?
Suppose there was a deep burning pit full of red hot coals, and two villains were to grab you by the arms and drag you towards the edge to throw you in.
And you being a person who wants to live and doesn’t want to die, who likes being happy and doesn’t like pain — your choices, aims, and intentions incline to get far away from that hell! Because you know if you fall into that burning pit, it would kill you or make you wish you were dead!
When the nutriment of mental volition is fully realized, with its three kinds of cravings — tilting to delight and relish in sense pleasure, inclining for 'this' to be, and leaning for 'that' not to be! — then there is nothing further to be done with it.
SN 12.63 - Puttamamsasutta
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The same movements that nourishingly bring you into balance when taken too far can also pull you into a tragic continuous lean. The same instincts that keep you alive and out of pain, when clung to send you into the pit. It’s one thing to escape all painful hells and another to be diving after all wishes of heavens. Somewhere in between is the middle way, and the restraint to find your balance and your equanimity.
