The Power of Vāsana

Just after listening to a song, the melody still lingers in my mind—this is the manas (mind faculty) dwelling on it, the consciousness recalling the tune. If learning Buddhism could be this quick and easy, how wonderful that would be! Worldly habits are acquired swiftly, while the habits of the Dharma are acquired too slowly, because worldly habits have been ingrained for so long. How long have worldly habits been perfumed into us? It’s beyond calculation. How long has the Dharma been perfumed into us? Compared to worldly habits, the time is far too short. Is it really that difficult or intricate to contemplate the sun? Clearly not. Yet, no matter what, one fails to achieve it—simply because one has never contemplated it before and the mind lacks interest, hence this outcome. How captivating worldly matters are, how familiar—even when one tries to suppress them, they cannot be held back. Cultivation is about turning the unfamiliar into the familiar and the familiar into the unfamiliar. The unfamiliar is the Dharma; the familiar is the worldly. The key lies in knowing how to transform and having the determination to do so.