By:: [[Eryu]] # Sense Pleasures — What is it and Where does it End? *Posted: 2022-06-27, Updated: 2022-08-17* Tags: [[Kamacchanda|Kāmacchanda]], [[Assada, Adinava, and Nissarana|Assāda, Ādīnava, and Nissaraṇa]], [[Jhana|Jhāna]], [[Indriya Samvara|Indriya Saṁvarā]], [[Ayatana|Saḷāyatana]] --- As humans, we are constantly in search of sense pleasures -- through food, music, movies, sex, and the list goes on. This is because the 6 *senses* are always in search of what is "pleasurable": 1. The eye is always in search of beautiful sights. 2. The ear is always in search of lovely sounds. 3. The nose is always in search of fragrant smells. 4. The tongue is always in search of delicious tastes. 5. The skin is always in search of pleasurable touches. 6. The mind is always in search of interesting thoughts. Seemingly, so long as we live for one more day as human, this search has to go on. ![[Dhamma wheel (50px).png]] Through Buddha Dhamma, we come to understand why this is such, and how to escape this cycle of never-ending search. 1. We seek sense pleasures because we're in ***debt*** — of sense enjoyments — due to which, we're always in ***thirst*** (***craving***). 2. Due to this thirst, we're always **"in _pain_"** (i.e. *dukkha*), and do not have ***contentment***. 3. We crave the sense objects because we think they provide us with **"happiness"**. 4. But the objects themselves don't have "happiness" in them; rather, they **satisfy our _thirst_**. 5. When the sense objects are provided, the thirst of the senses are temporarily pacified, and the *pain* is temporarily removed. Hence, we feel ***contented*** -- what we call "happiness". 6. But, this happiness is so **ephemeral** and ever-fleeting, and one has to **keep on seeking** for it (during which, a lot of effort/pain has to be taken). A never-ending process, until the end of one's life. 7. When one comes to Buddha Dhamma, one finds an alternative way of getting the contentment/happiness -- through **[[Jhana|Jhāna]]** -- and they feel **way superior** than regular sense enjoyments. 8. Through the practice of Jhāna as well as the [[Indriya Samvara|restraint of senses]], one's craving for regular sense pleasures starts to drop away, and one increasingly dwells in **constant contentment**. 9. Due to contentment, one no longer needs to keep on searching (to satisfy the senses); this leads one's mind to calm down. 10. As one's mind calms down, one is able to see reality with much more clarity, which allows one to penetrate into the **true nature** of the senses -- i.e. ***anicca sanna*** -- that everything *keeps on arising and passing away*. 11. And once ***[[Anicca]]*** (everything is arising and passing away), ***[[Dukkha]]*** (the constant pain that one has to take), and ***[[Anatta]]*** (the essencelss and uncontrollable nature of things) is perfectly penetrated, the **_ignorance_** that *"true satisfaction can be found in the senses anywhere at all"* will be fully removed, which marks the end of craving for sense pleasures (i.e. reaching the *[[Anagami]]* stage -- the 3rd fruit of Buddha's path). 12. At this point, the desire for sense pleasures is cut at its root, and the constant search can finally rest.