Nature of pleasure and pain : Buddhist simile - The tail of the snake

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Buddhist simile: The tail of the snake

Nature of pleasure and pain : Buddhist simile- Tail of the snake

Dear friends, in this reading we will try to understand the true nature of pleasure and pain we encounter in our life using the Buddhist simile of ‘Tail of the snake’

The snake

Snake is a venomous animal. It has two ends head and the tail. Head contain all the venom to harm another. The tail is harmless. The tow ends are very much different to each other. If we try to hold a snake on its head it will bit us. If we try to hold a snake on its tail, we can held it only for a short time. But if we hold it for a long time the snake will turn around and bit us

Pleasure and pain – two ends of the snake

We all look for pleasure and happiness in our life and try to avoid suffering and pain whenever possible. It is because we think by doing that we can be happy in life. Lord Buddha had explained, pleasure and pain are like the two ends of a snake. Pain is similar to the poisonous head of the snake. Pleasure is similar to the tail of the snake.

If we try to catch the snake on its head it will bit us; similar pain and suffering is a bitter experience we encounter in our life. We never try hold a snake on its head; similar we do not hold the life with pain. 

If we hold the snake on its tail we can hold it. But if we hold it for a too long time the snake will turn around and bite us. We have to let go the snake for us to be safe. That is we have to let go the feeling of pleasure for us to experience the true happiness in life

Pleasure is subtle suffering, pain is blatant suffering

Dear friends, Lord Buddha has explained pleasure is nothing but a subtle suffering. If we hold on to pleasure tightly it will cause suffering and pain. We grab in to pleasure like we hold the snake on its tail end. We fail to realize the truth that; if we do hold tightly in to these worldly pleasures it lead to suffering and pain. Both pleasure and pain have the same roots. The roots are the craving and delusion. When we feel pleasure and pain our mind is not at ease.

True nature of pleasure

When we receive worldly pleasure such as material gain, status or praise our mind is not in peace. Our mind always sneaks with suspicious that we will lose all these pleasure. The nature of these worldly pleasures are impermanence, suffering and non self. You and I who do not realize this realty are like the person who try to hold the snake by its tail and finally get bitten by the snake.

Peace of mind

We cannot hold the snake either by the head end nor tail end. We have to let go the snake; similar, the one who looks for true happiness in life will let go the feeling of pleasure and pain. The peace in mind will arise when we let go of these feelings. For that we have to eradicate the roots of these feeling. Which are the craving and delusion. Lord Buddha found the true peace in mind by eradicating craving and delusion.

….. May you have the wisdom to end suffering……

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