Sure, stream-enterers have lessened fear, but as you now say, they haven’t fully overcome it.
Your sutta quote is not necessarily about stream-enterers. It just says that people who keep the five precepts are ethical people and will be reborn in heaven. It also talks about “five fears”, not all fears.
“Mendicants, there are these four right efforts. What four?
… They generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities that have arisen are given up. …
Oh my goodness! When did Mara grow an afro?! I was already quite fond of how demons are handled in the EBT, but this depiction takes things to a new level!
Okay, seriously now, much thanks for these ever glorious Dhamma lessons.
It’s great when people share their perceptions of the doodles on the thread. Everyone sees different things in them.
I didn’t think of an afro when I made it. It was supposed to be a black cloud of delusion. Kind of the counterpart to the yellow aura of the arahants.
Um… … yes, sorry, Ven. Yodha, I was being naughty. The real idea was, in fact, quite clear… what can I say, my afro took over when seeing the opportunity to be silly.
A few months ago, someone asked me to make a doodle of the noble eightfold path that they can tattoo on their neck. In the end, that never happened, so I thought I’d share the doodle here:
Ven @Vimala commented that this doodle reminded them of an Ajahn Brahm story about being in prison and trying to dig a tunnel to get out, but other people keep you busy with decorating their cells.
I’ve never heard this story ( surprising, considering how many times they are usually repeated … ). Does anyone know where to find it?
…hmmm…I don’t remember hearing that version…but then I’ve noticed Ajahn tends to be quite responsive to his audience, perhaps he changes it up!
The story I’ve heard is the one where a prison is used as a similie for samsara and we go around trying to make it happy; visiting each other’s cells and decorating our own cells and having counselling sessions (okay, I added that, I don’t think Ajahn said that…actually, maybe he did…I can’t remember anymore!!!) for each other to make prison a more meaningful and beautiful experience… etc. etc…
Only, somebody (the Buddha) found a key, opened a gate and left. And he left the gate open. We can get out whenever we want to, but most of us don’t even know that we’re in jail, let alone that there’s a way out.
That’s, in a nutshell, the tale I remember. But you may be referring to another one. Perhaps what you’re referring to is here: