..續本文上一頁 if somebody calls it a saucepan there”s no problem. Whatever others may call it we are unperturbed because we are not blind to its true nature. This is one who knows Dhamma.

　　Now let”s come back to ourselves. Suppose somebody said, "You”re crazy!", or, "You”re stupid," for example. Even though it may not be true, you wouldn”t feel so good. Everything becomes difficult because of our ambitions to have and to achieve. Because of these desires to get and to be, because we don”t know according to the truth, we have no contentment. If we know the Dhamma, are enlightened to the Dhamma, greed, aversion and delusion will disappear. When we understand the way things are there is nothing for them to rest on.

　　Why is the practice so difficult and arduous

　　 Because of desires. As soon as we sit down to meditate we want to become peaceful. If we didn”t want to find peace we wouldn”t sit, we wouldn”t practice. As soon as we sit down we want peace to be right there, but wanting the mind to be calm makes for confusion, and we feel restless. This is how it goes. So the Buddha says, "Don”t speak out of desire, don”t sit out of desire, don”t walk out of desire,... Whatever you do, don”t do it with desire." Desire means wanting. If you don”t want to do something you won”t do it. If our practice reaches this point we can get quite discouraged. How can we practice

　　 As soon as we sit down there is desire in the mind.

　　It”s because of this that the body and mind are difficult to observe. If they are not the self nor belonging to self then who do they belong to

　　 It”s difficult to resolve these things, we must rely on wisdom. The Buddha says we must practice with "letting go," isn”t it

　　 If we let go then we just don”t practice, right

　　... Because we”ve let go.

　　Suppose we went to buy some coconuts in the market, and while we were carrying them back someone asked:

　　"What did you buy those coconuts for

　　"

　　"I bought them to eat."

　　"Are you going to eat the shells as well

　　"

　　"No."

　　"I don”t believe you. If you”re not going to eat the shells then why did you buy them also

　　"

　　Well what do you say

　　 How are you going to answer their question

　　 We practice with desire. If we didn”t have desire we wouldn”t practice. Practicing with desire is tanha. Contemplating in this way can give rise to wisdom, you know. For example, those coconuts: Are you going to eat the shells as well

　　 Of course not. Then why do you take them

　　 Because the time hasn”t yet come for you to throw them away. They”re useful for wrapping up the coconut in. If, after eating the coconut, you throw the shells away, there is no problem.

　　Our practice is like this. The Buddha said, "Don”t act on desire, don”t speak from desire, don”t eat with desire." Standing, walking, sitting or reclining... whatever... don”t do it with desire. This means to do it with detachment. It”s just like buying the coconuts from the market. We”re not going to eat the shells but it”s not yet time to throw them away. We keep them first. This is how the practice is. Concept and Transcendence [28] are co-existent, just like a coconut. The flesh, the husk and the shell are all together. When we buy it we buy the whole lot. If somebody wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells that”s their business, we know what we”re doing.

　　Wisdom is something each of us find for oneself. To see it we must go neither fast nor slow. What should we do

　　 Go to where there is neither fast nor slow. Going fast or going slow are not the way.

　　But we”re all impatient, we”re in a hurry. As soon as we begin we want to rush to the end, we don”t want to be left behind. We want to succeed. When it comes to fixing their minds for meditation some people go too far... They light the incense, prostrate and make a vow, "As long as this incense is not y…

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