Deep Commentary

The Buddha taught this verse at the Jeta Grove concerning the female friends of the lay disciple Visakha. These women got heavily intoxicated during a festival. When Visakha brought them to the Buddha, Mara tried to possess them to mock the Buddha, but the Buddha used His power to restore their sobriety. He then spoke this verse. Even during the Buddha's time, people fell into the trap of worldly pleasures. Intoxicants strip away self-control, leading to suffering and tragedy. The Buddha prohibits intoxicants because they cloud the mind and lead to ruin. People often seek happiness in sensory pleasures, forgetting that these very pleasures are the source of their destruction. As the Lotus Sutra states, the three realms are like a burning house. Yet, blinded by ignorance, beings remain trapped in the fire of desire. To escape this endless cycle of suffering, one must rely on wisdom to awaken, decisively abandon harmful habits, and seek the light of liberation. No one else can free us; we must untie our own bonds.