The Middle Path

Whoever lives looking for pleasure, exercising no restraint over his senses,

Immoderate in his enjoyments, indolent, inert,

Him Māra overpowers, even as the wind overpowers a tree of little strength…

Dhammapada 7

I once dismissed verses as these sorts as priggish admonitions towards piety and moralistic hypocritical preaching. Nevermind, I thought, pleasure is what we all seek if we are honest. Even the most pious monk who scourges himself is practicing what he thinks will be some kind of future pleasure beyond the Pearly Gates. To a large degree these exaggerated forms of self-denial are a deeper form of narcissistic self-indulgence as much as buying the right meditation cushion, incense and bells are of the fasting of a flagellant.

            The Buddha understood this as he broke his meditation to stand away from the Bodhi tree to receive a donation of rice from a village girl. From that point on he recommended the middle path: eat when you are hungry and enjoy it; sleep well when you sleep and don’t fight it; wake when you are awake and don’t deny your senses because the time will come when troubles outnumber the pleasures of life. Age will approach with ills and pain enough… there is adequate suffering in this life without inflicting ourselves with any more.

            This opposite approach can become nothing more than hedonistic if it is taken to the extremes. Again, it is the middle-path… especially for alcoholics and addicts… but it applies universally. Enjoy life! It is a fact that I can’t enjoy life if I am bound by unreasonable demands for pleasure.

            The quoted verses from the Dhammapada continues in verses 8:

Whoever lives looking not for pleasure, exercising restraint over his      senses,

Moderate in his enjoyments, endowed with faith, exerting the

 power of his will,

Him Māra does not overpower, even the wind does not over-

 power a mountain of rock.

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