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Friday, November 21, 2008 ( 11:51 AM ) shut up christine Be deeply watchful of how thoughts arise out of nothing and pass away into nothing. Exercise the mind in a fearless way, not thinking about things but with silent awareness. When we can settle back into the moment realizing that past and future are simply thoughts in the present, then we are freeing ourselves from the bondage of time. There is NOTHING to hold onto, NOTHING to grasp at, because it is all changing in the moment. When there are strong painful feelings in the body the tendency is such that the mind and body tense in reaction to pain. When we find ourselves tensing because of pain, examine the quality of unpleasantness carefully, the quality of painfulness. Become mindful of that feeling and the mind will naturally come to a state of balance. When the mind is silent, relaxed, and attentive, pain is experienced not as a solid mass but as a flow arising and vanishing moment to moment. There is a kind of monkey trap used in Asia. A coconut is hollowed out and attached by a rope to a tree or stake in the ground. At the bottom of the coconut a small slit is made and some sweet food is placed inside. The hole on the bottom of the coconut is just big enough for the monkey to slide in his open hand, but does not allow for a closed fist to pass out. The monkey smells the sweets, reaches in with his hand to grasp the food and is then unable to withdraw it. The clenched fist won't pass through the opening. When the hunters come, the monkey becomes frantic but cannot get away. There is no one keeping that monkey captive, except the force of its own attachment. All that it has to do is to open the hand. But so strong is the force of greed in the mind that it is a rare monkey which can let go. It is the desires and clinging in our minds which keep us trapped. All we need to do is to open our hands, let go of our selves, our attachment, and be free. -The Experience of Insight, Joseph Goldstein #
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