Page 101 - Extinguishment of self, in search of dhamma

to the tastes of food and not perceiving the tastes of food are totally different. The tongue has the duty to recognize tastes, to perceive taste. Therefore, anyone who cannot perceive tastes should get his tongue checked. What we should do is to not be attached to the tastes that we used to like, used to enjoy, used to be satis ed with. When we did not get (Translator’s note: These tastes), sufferings emerged. Alternatively, we searched for these tastes until sufferings emerged.
Now, the scrutinizing of the tastes of food so that we will not be attached to the tastes of food uses the exact same principle. That is—use an unburdened mind, a mind that is free from “self”, free from “us”. Try it: When the taste of food is delicious, where exactly is that deliciousness? Around the inside of the cheeks, near the base of the tongue—the deliciousness is around there. Take an unburdened mind and place it there, you will experience exactly where the taste of food is. Is it oating in an empty space?
While sitting here, take the sense of emptiness and place it in our mouth—how does the inside of our mouth feel? Does it have the shape of the mouth? Do we sense the presence of teeth? (A practitioner answers: No). How does it feel? Light, hollow, uncluttered, empty—this is because our mind is unburdened. When the mind is unburdened, as the taste emerges in an emptiness—does the satisfaction
93