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Four Clear Instructions on Purity, the first is to cut off lust
Key takeaway
To leave the three realms, the first gate is lust. "Until lust is removed, you cannot leave the dust" is not a threat. It is the order of practice.
To leave the three realms, the first gate is lust. "Until lust is removed, you cannot leave the dust" is not a threat. It is the order of practice.
Ananda asked the Buddha how to establish a place of practice, keep away from demonic affairs and keep the bodhi mind from retreating. The Buddha answered with four clear instructions on purity: no lust, no killing, no stealing, no lying. The sutra says that if beings in the six paths are not lustful in mind they do not follow the cycle of birth and death, and that until lust is removed one cannot leave the dust; practising samadhi without removing lust is like cooking sand and expecting rice. The commentary adds that lust is not only sexual desire: clinging to "self" and to experiences is lust extended. Precepts gather the mind, a gathered mind gives rise to samadhi, and samadhi gives rise to wisdom.