An Untaught Ordinary Person

Here, Monks, an untaught ordinary person, who has no regard for Noble Ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Teachings, who has no regard for true men and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Teachings, perceives earth as earth.

(1) Having perceived earth as earth, he conceives [himself as] earth, he conceives [himself] in earth, he conceives [himself apart] from earth, he conceives earth to be ‘mine,’ he excites in earth. Why is that? Because he has not fully understood it, I say.

(2) He perceives water as water. Having perceived water as water, he conceives [himself as] water, he conceives [himself] in water, he conceives [himself apart] from water, he conceives water to be ‘mine,’ he excites in water. Why is that? Because he has not fully understood it, I say.

(3) He perceives fire as fire…

(4) He perceives wind as wind…

(5) He perceives beings as beings…

(6) He perceives gods as gods…

(7) He perceives Pajāpati as Pajāpati…

(8) He perceives Brahmā as Brahmā (God)…

(9) He perceives the gods of Streaming Radiance as the gods of Streaming Radiance…

(10) He perceives the gods of Refulgent Glory as the gods of Refulgent Glory…

(11) He perceives the gods of Great Fruit as the gods of Great Fruit…

(12) He perceives the Overlord as the Overlord…

(13) He perceives the base of infinite space as the base of infinite space…

(14) He perceives the base of infinite consciousness as the base of infinite consciousness…

(15) He perceives the base of nothingness as the base of nothingness…

(16) He perceives the base of neither perception‑nor‑non‑perception as the base of neither perception‑nor‑non‑perception…

(17) He perceives the seen as the seen…

(18) He perceives the heard as the heard…

(19) He perceives the sensed as the sensed…

(20) He perceives the recognized as the recognized…

(21) He perceives unity as unity…

(22) He perceives diversity as diversity…

(23) He perceives all as all…

(24) He perceives Nibbāna as Nibbāna (Enlightenment). Having perceived Nibbāna as Nibbāna, he conceives [himself as] Nibbāna, he conceives [himself] in Nibbāna, he conceives [himself apart] from Nibbāna, he conceives Nibbāna to be ‘mine,’ he excites in Nibbāna. Why is that? Because he has not fully understood it, I say.

(Reference: MN 1)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how if a Practitioner’s mind clings to any of these things thinking that it is “mine”, then the mind will have excitement due to not fully understanding.

Through fully understanding these Teachings and training the mind to eliminate craving/desire/attachment/wants/expectations/grasping/holding/clinging one would not experience conditioned pleasant feelings such as excitement and would understand, nothing is “mine”.

All conditioned objects are impermanent, therefore, nothing can belong to you. All that exists will cease to exist, is impermanent, and therefore, cannot belong to you. If the mind mentally holds on to anything, it will cause the mind to experience discontentedness.