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　　Pedal Sewing Machine

　　When we sit in meditation, we only watch the breath. We don”t try to control it. If we force our breath to be too long or too short, we won”t feel balanced and our mind won”t become peaceful. We must just let our breathing happen naturally. It”s like using a pedal sewing machine. We can”t force the pedal. We push it up and down and let it go naturally. If we force it, the sewing won”t be smooth and easy. So before we actually start to sew anything, we first practice pedaling the machine to get our co-ordination right, then the machine can do its work naturally. Watching the breath is similar. We don”t get concerned over how long or short, weak or strong it is. We just note it. We simply let it be natural and follow it.

　　Piece of Cake

　　If you still have happiness and still have suffering, you are someone who is still not yet full. It”s as if you”re eating a piece of your favorite cake, but before you can finish eating it, it falls out of your hand. You regret the loss, don”t you

　　 When you feel the loss, you suffer, don”t you

　　 So you need to throw away both happiness and suffering. They”re only food for those who are not yet full. In truth, happiness is suffering in disguise, but in such a subtle form that you don”t see it. If you cling to happiness, it”s the same as clinging to suffering, but you don”t despair, don”t lose yourself in it. See that happiness and suffering have the same equal value.

　　Planting Fruit Trees

　　Our practice can be likened to planting fruit trees. As with fruit trees, it”s possible to get fruit quickly by taking a cutting and planting it, but the tree won”t be long-lasting or resilient. Another way is to take a seed and cultivate the tree right from the seed. In this way it will be strong and enduring. This is the same with our practice.

　　Poisonous Injection

　　There are two kinds of suffering: ordinary suffering and extra-ordinary suffering: ordinary suffering is the suffering that is the inherent nature of all conditioned phenomena. Extra-ordinary suffering is the kind that creeps in from the outside. Let”s see how they differ by using the following example: Suppose you are sick and go to see a doctor. The doctor decides to give you an injection. When the needle pierces the skin, there is some pain, which is only natural. When the needle is withdrawn, the pain disappears. This is like the, ordinary kind of suffering. It”s no problem; everybody experiences it. The extra-ordinary kind of suffering is the suffering that arises from grasping onto things. This is like having an injection with a syringe filled with poison. This is no longer an ordinary kind of pain. It is the pain which ends in death.

　　Precious Pen

　　If you don”t understand what peace is, you”ll never be able to find it. For example, suppose you had a very expensive pen which you usually carry in the right front picket of your shirt. But one day you put it somewhere else and forgot. Later when you reach for the pen in its usual place, it”s not there. You get a fright. You think you”ve lost it. You get a fright because of wrong understanding. You don”t see the truth of the matter and so you suffer as a result. Whatever you do, you can”t stop regretting having lost your precious pen: "Such a shame! I spent so much money on it and now it”s gone!" But then you remember, "Oh, of course! When I went to bathe I put the pen in the back pocket of my pants!" The moment you remember this you already feel better, even if you still haven”t seen the pen. You no longer worry about it. And as you”re walking along, you run your hand over your back pocket, and there it is. Your mind was deceiving you all along. The worry came from your ignorance. Now, seeing your pen again, you are beyond doubt, beyond worry. This sort of peac…

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