..续本文上一页icing and paying attention to nothing, to a gap, to where the thinking mind is not there. This helps in developing connected mindfulness, in which mindfulness isn”t just being aware of things or sensations, but also being aware of no-thing, and of the background - the emptiness, the space, the silence. We have to awaken to notice that because the mind is not conditioned to noticing it, even though it”s obvious. It”s here and now - we”re not making it up - and we can suddenly notice, and awaken to the way it is.

　　So, in terms of the mood, I can contemplate: ”What kind of mood am I in

　　” I can go into the body and see if there”s anxiety, or if I feel dissatisfied or ill at ease; or if I feel happy or very positive - whatever. Whatever the mood - the kind of internal atmosphere - I can be aware of that as an object that I can observe. Then, once we really get used to observing the mood we”re no longer just a victim of it; we no longer resist or indulge in what we”re experiencing.

　　Knowing what state of mind you”re in - the way it is, in terms of its quality, is actually a Foundation of Mindfulness. Normally, we try to manipulate and change the moods, or think positively to make ourselves feel better - there doesn”t seem to be any escape from the condition. But the religious goal is the escape. There is an escape from suffering - from the conditioned, the born, the created and the originated. To paraphrase the Buddha: ”There is the Unborn, Uncreated, Unoriginated. If there was not the Unborn, Uncreated, Unoriginated, there would be no escape from the born, the created, the originated. But because there is the Unborn, the Uncreated, the Unoriginated, therefore there is an escape from the created, the born, the originated.”

　　This kind of escape is encouraged: to free oneself from being bound and caught up in the deathbound state. We call it ”deathbound” because, when you really contemplate it, everything in these khandas: the thoughts, memories, feelings, the body - is going to die, to cease. So if you”re attached to the five khandhas - and that”s all there is - actually, you”re attached to death. Although people think they”re attached to life when they”re fascinated by and attached to the conditioned realm, really they are attaching to death. They may say they love life, but isn”t what they consider to be life just a part of a bigger picture that is not admitted into full consciousness

　　There”s always this kind of fairytale, or naive hope, that the fulfilment of desire will be the answer to our suffering: if we meet the perfect person, then we”ll live happily ever after; or, once we get lots of money then we”ll be really happy; or, once we get everything we desire, we won”t have any more desires. But consider: people who seem to have everything - how OK are they

　　 Is it worth spending your life trying to fulfil all your desires

　　 It doesn”t take much reflection to see that it”s a bit of a waste - because as long as desire is your attachment, your delusion, it will always perpetuate itself. You may get momentary gratification but that”s about the best you can expect. You get what you want, and for that moment you feel gratified but then it starts again, you”re looking for something else - and it goes on and on and on. This is because the basic problem is the identification with, and attachment to, desire.

　　But our true nature isn”t that; it isn”t desire, it isn”t death. There is the Unconditioned, Unborn, Uncreated, Unoriginated: Amaravati - the Deathless Realm, which is timeless, apparent here and now. So what can that be in terms of experience, now

　　 If we practise in order to improve ourselves or to get something in the future that will always take us to suffering. In meditation, no matter how much you strive and work to be discipli…

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