…that passionate desire which is like a moth in a flame; which, having the nature of a spotless, luminous moon trembling in water, is exceedingly difficult to grasp; which, like a sea monster among the billows in a torrent, is hard to catch; which moves with the wind’s or a Garuda’s speed; which, being exceedingly light, whirls about like a cotton tuft; which leaps about, always in motion, like a monkey; which ever seeks the flavor of passion’s happiness; which feeds the impurities; which, entirely absorbing all thought, is careless of that rough and dangerous precipice that leads to all those impurities—which, with the supremely mysterious sound that is the yearning of union, is loosed from the bow of false understanding…
“The Story of Prince Súdhana,” The Heavenly Exploits: Buddhist Biographies from the Divyavadana (Clay Sanskrit Library)
