YOU HAVE A CHOICE

Last night at meditation practice there was only four of us, Geoffery, Aaron, myself and a monk from the Buddhapadipa temple in Wimbledon:

http://www.buddhapadipa.org/index.html

I had a few moments to talk to the monk before we began and we chatted about university and how I felt my meditation was going and I asked him about a monks life.

We walked.

We sat.

Then he told us about the teachings of the Buddha. Like everything which you find amazing you have to hear it told in a new way in order for it to have a renewed impact. This is because, in the same way that different people relate differently to things, you are constantly changing so because you are a new person you need to hear it differently.

Anyway, often during sitting meditation my foot goes numb, this kinda hurts and makes me worry that I'm damaging my circulation. This has always caused me to shift while sitting so I'm not in pain. I told the monk this and he said that no matter where or how you sit you will feel pain. Even if you are sitting in the most comfortable place your body will want to shift. We are constantly satisfying this desire, like everything else (to have a better job, a better car, that CD, that book, a significant other, etc). If we are always grasping at it, always shifting then we will never be free of desire.

We have a choice. All pleasure and pain is fleeting. If we are not subject to the desire for pleasure and the lessening of pain we are free from desire.

Freedom from desire.

The monk told us a parable:
To capture monkies in Burma people hollow out coconuts and fill them with food (berries, nuts and things) and reform the coconut but with a slit in it so that a hand can squeeze through if flat but not a fist. The monkey slides his hand in and grabs the food. But the slit is too small to get his fist full of food out. He is stuck. Then the hunter comes along. The monkey is scared but still wants the food so he still grasps it.

If the monkey could learn to let go of the food then he could free his hand and not be caught.

If we can learn to let go of our desires then we can be free.

How many monkeys in the world would let go? How many people in the world can?

Not many, but if there are a few monkeys that do, maybe more monkeys will learn.

The Buddha can show us the way, we have to let go to follow.

Emaho.

Ram.