ajaanleedhammadharo &mdash; dharma notes https://paper.wf/dharma-notes/tag:ajaanleedhammadharo 人人人 notes on the way 人人人 Fri, 15 May 2026 04:21:16 +0000 learning to become a potter, a tailor, or a basket weaver https://paper.wf/dharma-notes/learning-to-become-a-potter-a-tailor-or-a-basket-weaver <![CDATA[A frequently recurring theme in Than Phor Lee’s Dhamma talks was that the Dhamma is a skill to be mastered, in the same way that a manual skill is to be mastered, through using one’s powers of observation and ingenuity. Here, for example, is an example of how he developed this analogy: What does discernment come from? You might compare it with learning to become a potter, a tailor, or a basket weaver. The teacher will start out by telling you how to make a pot, sew a shirt or a pair of pants, or weave different patterns, but the proportions and beauty of the object you make will have to depend on your own powers of observation. Suppose you weave a basket and then take a good look at its proportions, to see if it’s too short or too tall. If it’s too short, weave another one, a little taller, and then take a good look at it to see if there’s anything that still needs improving, to see if it’s too thin or too fat. Then weave another one, better-looking than the last. Keep this up until you have one that’s as beautiful and well-proportioned as possible, one with nothing to criticize from any angle. This last basket you can take as your standard. You can now set yourself up in business. #Dhamma #Dharma #AjaanLeeDhammadharo #AjaanLee #fediverse #networking @dharma-notes@paper.wf @dharma@a.gup.pe @AjaanLee@a.gup.pe]]> A frequently recurring theme in Than Phor Lee’s Dhamma talks was that the Dhamma is a skill to be mastered, in the same way that a manual skill is to be mastered, through using one’s powers of observation and ingenuity. Here, for example, is an example of how he developed this analogy:

What does discernment come from? You might compare it with learning to become a potter, a tailor, or a basket weaver. The teacher will start out by telling you how to make a pot, sew a shirt or a pair of pants, or weave different patterns, but the proportions and beauty of the object you make will have to depend on your own powers of observation. Suppose you weave a basket and then take a good look at its proportions, to see if it’s too short or too tall. If it’s too short, weave another one, a little taller, and then take a good look at it to see if there’s anything that still needs improving, to see if it’s too thin or too fat. Then weave another one, better-looking than the last. Keep this up until you have one that’s as beautiful and well-proportioned as possible, one with nothing to criticize from any angle. This last basket you can take as your standard. You can now set yourself up in business.

#Dhamma #Dharma #AjaanLeeDhammadharo #AjaanLee

#fediverse #networking @dharma-notes@paper.wf @dharma@a.gup.pe @AjaanLee@a.gup.pe

]]> https://paper.wf/dharma-notes/learning-to-become-a-potter-a-tailor-or-a-basket-weaver Sun, 26 Jun 2022 19:06:35 +0000