Because things have a self-existing simplicity, they do not need any reference point. That is one taste: no need for further reference point. It is direct, one flavor. Usually sugar is sweet because salt is salty, but such reference points do not apply here. One taste is a one-shot deal. If you feel extreme pain and frustration, you feel it.

Often I find students saying that they feel extremely pained and frustrated, but they cannot understand why. There is some element of truth in that. There may be magic in that, in fact. The students are not being analytical but direct. They feel the nowness of the pain–or of the pleasure–as it is, personally, directly, simply. That magic is very powerful, very important.

From “The Question of Magic,” in Journey without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha,  page 114.

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