Citta the householder said to the monks: "Suppose a black steer and a white steer were tied together by a rope or yoke. Now, if one were to say that the black steer was the fetter of the white one, or that the white steer was the fetter of the black one, would one be speaking rightly?"

"No, they would not, householder. They are fettered by the rope or yoke."

"Well, in the same way, monks, the eye is not the fetter of objects, nor is the object the fetter of the eye. Rather, the desire and craving that arises owing to the pair of them, that is the fetter. The ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the mind and thoughts are not the fetters, but rather the desire and craving that arises owing to the pairs of them, that is the fetter. "

"Good for you, householder, well said. You have the eye of wisdom that is consistent with the Buddha's deep teaching. "

Samyutta Nikaya IV.280

Thanks:)

This sutta is excellent.

It is not the appearance or sensation that binds us, they are perfectly fine, pure, dharmakaya, suchness

It is the way we experience them that binds us, our delusions, our grasping, thinking we are the perceiver - thinking we are the self that experience the sensation and act from this perception — that is exactly the fetter.

Self is the fetter

Desire and craving will happen only if there’s a self here and self there.

The sensations are innocent.

I am surprised the SN have this coz it has more

“Altering sensation, modify perception” teachings. This is refreshing.

No self insight is when the eye of wisdom opens

Primordial purity

Haha yea. It is strange. Sometimes the mind really don’t differentiate so much anymore , instead it becomes curious. And often times, grateful.

Even grief, frustration, tiredness, illness, .. no matter what the happpening is, the mind is still experiencing itself, and that is the miracle

for me that is really really more than enough.

I share your grieving xp when my grandmother passed recently too.

I purposely chose to not disengage and let myself feel 100%.

It was a rich human experience. Gave me more faith for the dharma too