More thoughts on fourteen

It is interesting that Subhuti summarizes the teaching as detachment from self, life, and soul. Buddha agrees, and gives examples of why this is the primary teaching. If you remain unattached, when someone insults you, or more dramatically, cuts off your limbs, you won't become angry. Hence, not becoming angry is a secondary effect. Similarly, detachment will give you patience, such as if you have to endure "five hundred lifetimes." Patience, too is a secondary effect. At the end of the passage, Buddha warns us yet again even to practice charity (do good deeds) with detachment. I assume he emphasizes it because it is so easy to fall into the trap of expecting some kind of reward, physical or mental, from one's good acts. I recently wrote some kind notes to people, and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to thank me in return! Talk about charity with attachment. I fell into this trap. It is very hard for me to practice charity with detachment, but I am going to try.