..续本文上一页.. then, when they stop, they don”t even bother picking up their tools, they just walk off and leave them there. Later on, when the soil has all caked up, they remember their work and do a bit more, only to leave it again.

　　Doing things this way you”ll never get a decent garden or paddy. Our practice is the same. If you think this patipada is unimportant you won”t get anywhere with the practice. Sammapatipada is unquestionably important. Do it constantly. Don”t listen to your moods. So what if your mood is good or not

　　 The Buddha didn”t bother with those things. He had experienced all the good things and bad things, the right things and wrong things. That was his practice. Taking only what you like and discarding whatever you don”t like isn”t practice, it”s disaster. Wherever you go you will never be satisfied, wherever you stay there will be suffering.

　　Practicing like this is like the Brahmans making their sacrifices. Why do they do it

　　 Because they want something in exchange. Some of us practice like this. Why do we practice

　　 Because we seek re-birth, another state of being, we want to attain something. If we don”t get what we want then we don”t want to practice, just like the Brahmans making their sacrifices. They do so because of desire.

　　The Buddha didn”t teach like that. The cultivation of the practice is for giving up, for letting go, for stopping, for uprooting. You don”t do it for re-birth into any particular state.

　　There was once a Thera who had initially gone forth into the Mahanikai sect. But he found it not strict enough so he took Dhammayuttika ordination. [43] Then he started practicing. Sometimes he would fast for fifteen days, then when he ate he”d eat only leaves and grass. He thought that eating animals was bad kamma, that it would be better to eat leaves and grass.

　　After a while..."Hmm. Being a monk is not so good, it”s inconvenient. It”s hard to maintain my vegetarian practice as a monk. Maybe I”ll disrobe and become a pa-kow." So he disrobed and became a pa-kow so that he could gather the leaves and grass for himself and dig for roots and yams. He carried on like that for a while till in the end he didn”t know what he should be doing. He gave it all up. He gave up being a monk, gave up being a pa-kow, gave up everything. These days I don”t know what he”s doing. Maybe he”s dead, I don”t know. This is because he couldn”t find anything to suit his mind. He didn”t realize that he was simply following defilements. The defilements were leading him on but he didn”t know it.

　　"Did the Buddha disrobe and become a pa-kow

　　 How did the Buddha practice

　　 What did he do

　　" He didn”t consider this. Did the Buddha go and eat leaves and grass like a cow

　　 Sure, if you want to eat like that go ahead, if that”s all you can manage, but don”t go round criticizing others. Whatever standard of practice you find suitable then persevere with that. "Don”t gouge or carve too much or you won”t have a decent handle." [44] You”ll be left with nothing and in the end just give up.

　　Some people are like this. When it comes to walking meditation they really go at it for fifteen days or so. They don”t even bother eating, just walk. Then when they finish that they just lie around and sleep. They don”t bother considering carefully before they start to practice. In the end nothing suits them. Being a monk doesn”t suit them, being a pa-kow doesn”t suit them... so they end up with nothing.

　　People like this don”t know practice, they don”t look into the reasons for practicing. Think about what you”re practicing for. They teach this practice for throwing off. The mind wants to love this person and hate that person... these things may arise but don”t take them for real. So what are we practicing for

　　 Simply so that we can give up these very th…

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