Sensual pleasures are to be avoided if one is ready for that and does it from a place of wisdom and understanding, not aversion. The vast majority of laypeople aren't at that point, yet some will make the mistake of thinking they are and try to practice in a way that does as much harm as good and ends up being unsustainable. I've seen many examples of this on this forum and I myself did this for a time when I first started serious Dhamma practice. There was a thread recently that referred to this as the "bhikkhufication of laypeople" and it seems to be a fairly modern, Western phenomenon.mal4mac wrote:Music? Painting? Did the Buddha ever recommend these? Aren't Buddhist monks supposed to keep away from these entertainments and ornamentations so as to fully calm down the senses and fully train the mind to not be enslaved by sensual pleasures? Doesn't music and art increase the passions of the mind and arouse emotions which hinder a person's spiritual development?
OK, lay people aren't asked to be as strict as monks, but shouldn't these things be avoided as much as possible? I can see, as a lay person, that putting on Beethoven for half an hour to relax from dhamma studies & meditation attempts might be beneficial as a kind of rest stop on the path. But isn't there a great danger of attachment - you might linger at the rest stop and make no spiritual progress.
In a marathon, slow and steady wins the race.
AN 4.62 wrote:Then the householder Anāthapiṇḍika approached the Blessed One…. The Blessed One said to him:
“Householder, there are these four kinds of happiness that may be achieved by a layperson who enjoys sensual pleasures, depending on time and occasion. What four? The happiness of ownership, the happiness of enjoyment, the happiness of freedom from debt, and the happiness of blamelessness.
(1) “And what, householder, is the happiness of ownership? Here, a clansman has acquired wealth by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained. When he thinks, ‘I have acquired wealth by energetic striving … righteously gained,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of ownership.
(2) “And what is the happiness of enjoyment? Here, with wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by the strength of his arms, earned by the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained, a clansman enjoys his wealth and does meritorious deeds. When he thinks, ‘With wealth acquired by energetic striving … righteously gained, I enjoy my wealth and do meritorious deeds,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of enjoyment.
(3) “And what is the happiness of freedom from debt? Here, a clansman has no debts to anyone, whether large or small. When he thinks, ‘I have no debts to anyone, whether large or small,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of freedom from debt.
(4) “And what is the happiness of blamelessness? Here, householder, a noble disciple is endowed with blameless bodily, verbal, and mental action.
When he thinks, ‘I am endowed with blameless bodily, verbal, and mental action,’ he experiences happiness and joy. This is called the happiness of blamelessness.
“These are the four kinds of happiness that a layperson who enjoys sensual pleasures may achieve, depending on time and occasion.”
Having known the happiness of freedom from debt,
one should recall the happiness of ownership.
Enjoying the happiness of enjoyment,
a mortal then sees things clearly with wisdom.
While seeing things clearly, the wise one
knows both kinds of happiness.
The other is not worth a sixteenth part
of the bliss of blamelessness.
