Guess this basically covered by What is Nirvana? thread.

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The Fire Sermon (Ādittapariyāya Sutta)

The Buddha approached Gaya on his palanquin, followed by 952 adherent beggars (Bhikkus) with their begging bowls in hand.

On top of a hill, after eating a very sweet mango, he gave a sermon to any and all who happened to be a part of his audience

"All things, ladies and gentelmen, are on fire. "

"Whatever sensations received by the senses, the forms and receivers of perception, whether pleasant, unpleasant or indifferent are on fire."

"With what are these things on fire you might ask?"

"With the fire of passion, say I, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of infatuation; with birth, old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, misery, grief, and despair are they on fire."

"And we are against the inflammation of all hindrances which fuel the conflagration of suffering and unsatisfactoriness. "

"My brothers and sisters, we are strangely inflamed and activated to therapeutically cool inflammation, to quench the raging fires of Dukkha."

"You must excuse any contradictions."

"Is my sermon, my friends, on fire? Or does it cool one to unconditioned stillness?"

"When the world cannot burn, dissipated by this stillness, by the absence of passion, there is no fuel for causation and rebirth is ended. Thereafter there is nothing more to do."

The Buddha raised his hands in prayer.

******

A series of aerial fireworks suddenly shot out of the crowd. The Buddha wasn't embarrassed by such action. A few of the monks clapped with excitement. A few sighed with exasperation.

Life is not on fire. Life is homeostatic.

Life is not on fire. Life is homeostatic. — praxis

Not a very good metaphor eh? Life converts inputs, requires fuel, like fire to sustain homeostasis. Attachment and aversion mediate the input/outputs which have consequences toward a future. Small actions can have great effects... like a match which ignites a forest. Maybe the properties of fire jive with the concept of karma.

Will have to look to see if Buddha has a Water sermon. "Life, o Bhikkus, is a thirsty bag of water."

The Sand Dune Sermon

The dude's robe caught on some bushes as he climbed the dune, making him spill his drink a little. Once on the mound, surrounded by all that would hear his words of wisdom, he began speaking.

"Things have come to light, man."

"Life is strikes and gutters, ups and downs."

The crowd chants, "Yes, O' Lord"

"No, I’m the Dude, so that’s what you call me. That or, uh His Dudeness, or uh Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.”

"Where was I? Oh yeah, this is a very complicated thing, man. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous."

The crowd abruptly chants, "Yes, O' Dudeness", startling the dude and making him spill his drink once again.

"Careful man, there's a beverage here!"

"Stop running around, immerse yourself in life and face whatever, man. Chasing pleasure leads to pain and chasing pain leads to pleasure. BALANCE, man. The dude abides in balance."

"Do you abide?"

The crowd chants, "We abide, O' Dudeness!"

The Dude collapsed in the sand, blistered and broken under the zenith of an arid Sun. There were no groupies left, no White Russians, no pot. He was strangely alone and couldn't lift himself up. The agony of thirst pitched him into an otherworldly haze of illusions.

Soda Fountain girls were bowling beneath the dunes. The pins were pitchers of iced water, bottles of Kaluha and cartons of Half-n-Half.

"Can I get some water, man? Someone... get me outta here."

"This is your exit, honey. These few minutes before the drop is way crazier than Burning Man. Try not to freak out."