The senses in their natural state ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro

The senses in their natural state pull us here and there without cease. Unless we learn how to discipline the senses with mindfulness we will never find peace. The Buddha illustrated this point with a memorable simile.

Imagine six animals - a crocodile, a fox, a dog, a bird, a monkey and a snake - each with one end of a piece of rope tied to their tail, and the other end joined in a common knot. Chaos ensues as each creature pulls on the rope. The crocodile tries to get to water, the bird tries to fly into the sky, the dog tries to run into the village and the fox tries to get to the woods; the monkey tries to get up a tree and the snake tries to get into a hole. Each creature tries to drag the others with it, but none can do so for long, and as the strongest tires, another takes its place. Eventually, a man attaches the central knot to a post fixed firmly in the ground. At first, the creatures struggle frantically, but in the end they realize the futility of their struggle, and lie down on the ground, at peace at last.

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Source:

https://www.facebook.com/jayasaro.panyaprateep.org/photos/a.318290164946343/1705465252895487/?type=3&theater