As long as one is not free from the wrong view of self, one cannot expect to escape from the risk of falling into the miserable realms of the hells, the animals or the petas. Though one may be leading a happy life in the human or deva world by virtue of one’s merits, yet one is liable to fall back into the miserable states of existence at any time, when one’s demerits operate. For this reason, the Buddha pointed out that it is essential to work for the total removal of the wrong view of self: “Let a monk go forth mindfully to abandon view of self”.

Mahasi Sayadaw

source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/mahasi/wheel370.html


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