Below
is an extended explanation drawing on the imagery and teaching of the Fire
Sermon (the Ādittapariyāya Sutta), reinterpreted here as a “Speech on the
Meaning of the Sun: Spiritual Warming.”
What Is Warming?
The
“warming” here refers to the way in which every sensory contact – the six
sensations (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental) – is
not neutral but is imbued with an inner heat. In the Sutta, the Buddha declares
that the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are “burning” (āditta),
meaning they are aflame with an active emotional charge. This burning
symbolizes how ordinary sensory experiences are heated by unwholesome impulses
that disturb inner equilibrium.
What Are the Uprisings of Warmth?
The
“uprisings” or the additional heat come from three principal fires:
- Lust (Greed): The insatiable
desire for pleasing sights, sounds, and so on.
- Anger (Aversion): The reactive,
burning response to what is found unpleasant.
- Delusion (Ignorance): The misunderstanding
of phenomena as lasting or self-owned.
These
are the “sinful mentalities” that fuel further suffering—leading to the cycle
of birth, aging, and death.
Realization and Tranquility
The
noble ones—those who have heard and deeply understood this teaching—recognize
the “heat” of their sensory attachments. By seeing that these sensations are
impermanent and inherently “burning,” they develop detachment (nibbidā) and
dispassion. This insight cools the internal fires, leading to a state of inner
tranquility and, ultimately, liberation. In other words, by understanding the
true “warmth” of the senses and its underlying causes, the practiced disciple
learns to let go of craving, anger, and delusion, extinguishing the fires that
cause suffering.
This explanation shows how the Buddha used the metaphor of burning – much like the warming rays of the sun – to illustrate the transformative potential of mindfulness and insight on our very experience of reality.
