Sensual attachment is likened to a net (net of affection, net of desire) cast over our heads, causing us to become entangled, lose our freedom, and give rise to suffering. The third verse repeats the word “net” twice to emphasize the entangling nature of sensual attachment, which not only applies to monastics but also easily ensnares lay practitioners. In translation, “ái” means love, loving-kindness, or affection for others; “dục” is craving or desire. Combined as sensual love, it refers to both love and desire, which is why it is rendered in the West as sensual love. The Sonnet d’Arvers about amour platonique illustrates that even love without physical desire can cause suffering due to attachment.

The mind operates according to a sequence: contact → attention → feeling → perception → volition; from volition arises sensual desire and then suffering. Three representative images describe how sensual desire arises and spreads:

1. Monkeys and apes swinging from branch to branch in search of fruit – the greedy mind is ceaselessly seeking.
2. Cogon grass growing thickly – the consequences of attachment spreading everywhere.
3. Water seeping to fill a pond – sorrow and worry accumulating day and night.
   To uproot afflictions, we must cut down the tree of sensual desire at its root, practicing mindfulness, wise attention, contemplation of impermanence, non-self, and impurity, so that the mind may dwell in peace and liberation.

The tree of practice needs three great roots deeply anchored in the soil of practice in order to remain balanced amidst all the storms of life.
The first root is faith—faith in the Three Jewels: faith in the capacity for understanding, love, and happiness (Buddha nature) within each person, based on right view—seeing clearly through contemplation, directly realizing in daily life (for example, mindful breathing, sitting meditation, the Five Precepts, the Ten Precepts), not based on superstition or mere theory.
The second root is aspiration—a deep aspiration, a profound ideal (bodhicitta), the energy that nourishes the soul and helps to transform suffering; the third root is practice—actions arising from faith and aspiration, expressed through cooking rice, sweeping the house, walking meditation… not as a compulsory duty but as an expression of love and the ideal of practice.

Sensual desire is the condition for all sorrow, a continuous stream flowing in accordance with our deep-seated habit energies and pride.
If we do not cut off sensual desire at its root, even if we trim it at the surface, the mind will sprout new shoots—sorrow will not end. If we want the mind to be at peace, we must:

• recognize the stream of habit energy (the seeds of our ancestors, carried through many lifetimes) and the pride attached to the self
• practice mindfulness to clearly see the operation of sensual desire in every contact, feeling, perception, and thought
• apply the seventh gatha: do not move in the direction of sensual desire but must uproot desire at its very root

Net of attachment is the web of clinging that arises from sensual desire, causing the mind to scatter, the fire of craving to flare up, and leading to suffering. Even if the tree of sensual desire is cut down, it can sprout again, as stated in the eighth gatha: if the root of sensation has not been completely uprooted, suffering will still be present. To eradicate at the root does not mean to suppress sexual energy, but to transform the mind with insight and compassion, so that this energy does not make us suffer. It is the transformation of the mind, not the body; only when, through insight, we can distinguish the origin of craving and use loving kindness to heal, can we truly be at ease.

The ninth gatha reminds us that it is not about changing the outer prison, but transforming the habit energies within—those deep-seated habits that lead us from one suffering to another. In Dharma discussion, the sangha focuses on

1. habit energy (deep-seated habits, hidden seeds)
2. complexes (comparison of better, worse, equal)
   because they play a key role in both suffering and liberation. The four wrong perceptions (samyojana) cause us to misunderstand reality:
3. perceiving permanence instead of impermanence
4. perceiving happiness instead of suffering
5. perceiving self instead of non-self
6. perceiving purity instead of impurity
   When we contemplate the object of desire in the light of impermanence, non-self, and impurity, insight will arise, cutting off suffering at its root. The inner strength of insight and compassion, as well as the support of the sangha, the Buddha, and the Dharma, are the conditions that strengthen the path of liberation.

When the mind is directed toward sensual desire, sensual desire grows like a monkey swinging from branch to branch, binding us to suffering and worldly entanglements. Only when we are determined to abandon sensual desire, uprooting it completely—not just cutting the reeds but pulling out the roots—can we escape the prison of attachment, cease our worries and sorrows, and attain true happiness. The current of craving permeates our thinking and perception, embellishing delusive thoughts, causing aging and death to increase rapidly; only the insight into impermanence, non-self, suffering, and impurity can discern the true nature and eradicate the root cause.

Practicing mindfulness, applying the gatha (each gatha has twenty words, repeating helps memorize the original Chinese), and contemplating the following four practices will help uproot sensual desire:

1. impermanence
2. non-self
3. suffering
4. impurity
   Comparing the Chinese–Pali texts, engaging in both individual and collective Dharma discussions within the monastic and lay communities, helps remind each other, replacing the need for sensual desire with genuine brotherhood. Up to now, we have studied 19 out of 32 teachings, and it is clear that when we deeply uproot sensual desire, no longer entangled, brothers and sisters live happily and make steady progress.

Earth is an extraordinarily special planet in the universe, the only place where life exists. When we practice walking meditation with mindfulness, each step becomes a miracle, bringing happiness, healing, and nourishment to the soul. Zen Master Linji reminded us that the very first miracle is the mindful step, which helps us let go of the past, the future, and our worries, allowing us to live fully in the present moment.

The Sutra of the Net of Affection uses a series of profound metaphors to illustrate how sensual desire binds the mind:

• the net of sensual desire and covering oneself with the net of desire—enveloping oneself in craving
• the umbrella of attachment (umbrella of love)—shielding, obstructing the inner truth
• the fish entering the trap—easy to enter, difficult to leave, along with the image of a calf seeking its mother’s udder, always clinging
  All these are symbols for the endless cycle of craving. Only when we abandon desire, not following the tracks of attachment, can we escape the net and liberate the mind from aging and death.

The path of the Middle Way and liberation is expressed through two main practices:

1. The threefold training of mindfulness—concentration—insight, a method to eliminate the afflictive obstacles (greed, anger, ignorance…) and the obstacles of knowledge (rigid views), so that the mind becomes light and clear
2. The three conditions to become a great being:
   1. Untying the knots of discrimination—“this and that”
   2. Not discriminating between this and that
   3. Not being caught in the duality of subject and object

Modern scientists, whether exploring the macrocosm or the microcosm, also fall into the trap of dualism when they believe that time and space are objective realities. Buddhism points out that time is without beginning or end, and that consciousness and the observed object are interwoven. Only when we let go of the notion of time, of dualistic discrimination, and overcome obstacles, can we step through the door of the ultimate dimension, which has always been open.

To be awakened to the true nature of all dharmas means to see clearly their real face, so that dharmas are no longer traps or prisons. Liberation does not come from any deity, but from our own wisdom and mindfulness. When we understand the true nature of things, we let go of craving—the rope that binds us to suffering—and we walk in freedom and peace.

There are three kinds of giving:

• material giving: offering food, clothing, money to alleviate suffering
• dharma giving: transmitting the path of liberation, the most noble form of giving
• giving fearlessness: offering courage, helping others to be free from fear

Dharma giving is the most precious, because it leads us out of entanglement and brings about dharma joy—true happiness that arises when we practice the teachings. Dhamma-sukha is considered the greatest happiness among all pleasures.

Sensual craving is a binding rope; if the field of our mind is sown with the seeds of greed, anger, and ignorance, we will harvest suffering. On the other hand, if we sow wholesome seeds such as generosity and helping others, we will reap Mahāphala, the boundless fruits of merit. Only when we recognize and let go of sensual craving can we reach the other shore of freedom and happiness.

In 2010, at the Full Moon Meditation Hall, the final gatha of the sutra The Net of Affection emphasizes the five kinds of craving that arise when the mind finds something pleasing—that is, the consciousness of desire, even knowing the consequences, still recklessly pursues it. Illustrated by the example of a pink water jug containing poison or a fish biting a fake bait with a hook, we are easily deceived and entangled, leading to deep suffering. The wise avoid the seductive appearance, choosing a healthier way to quench their thirst, understanding wisdom as an umbrella or a sharp sword that helps cut through desire. Salvation and liberation come only from wisdom, not from any deity.

Other important contents:

1. The five kinds of craving that cause people suffering:
   • wealth
   • power
   • fame
   • sensual pleasure
   • delicious food
2. Three parallel inner images:
   • the monk – longing for practice, the Buddha nature within
   • the artist – loving beauty, appreciating the world
   • the warrior – using the sword of wisdom to cut through afflictions right in the present moment
3. The path of liberation:
   • giving rise to Bodhicitta—the aspiration for complete liberation
   • taking refuge in the Sangha—the community of practice as the boat that carries us across the ocean of suffering
   • letting go of passions to be free from fear, releasing sử and kết (the inner chains)
   • recognizing that desire arises from tư (craving) and tưởng (wrong perception), cutting them at the root to attain nirvana