..续本文上一页e it gets going then we become aware of certain aspects, let”s say of the body, which we weren”t aware of before. We notice particular sensations, particular states of mind, particular feelings that before we only noticed if they really attracted our attention. Or if they were really interesting so we had some investment in them. As we notice these things we see, "Hey, this body gets on without me. I don”t need to stay aware: foot move there, leg go there, arm go here!" You notice that "Hey, its working anyway. So I can just go to sleep!" And you notice that most of the activities of the body happen without your conscious interference -- food is digested, the breathing happens, the hair is growing, getting older, etc. It happens automatically.

　　If we just are aware of the body within our limited sphere of ego, "Well, gee, I am in control of this body." So I can say, "Okay arm: move! Wow, look at how powerful I am, I can move my arm. It took scientists years to get a robot to do that! I can sit up, I can move, I can dance, I can sing (well, not as a monk).

　　But then when it comes to these other things . . . Okay, you can move your arm, but can you say, "Okay digestion, stop digesting!"

　　 Maybe it would be useful if you could do some things. Let”s say, "Hair, stop growing! Save razors!"

　　But how often do we look at the limitations of the body

　　 We usually look only at where we have control. If the body gets sick, I don”t want to hear about it, I don”t want to know it, "I am not sick, keep going, come on." But finally you have to accept, "Ugh, I am ill, I can”t make it." And then we meet the limits of our control over the body; usually only in these sort of crisis situations you”d say.

　　In the story of the Buddha it was old age, sickness and death which the Buddha had to confront, and there was no solution. He asked people what does this mean: old age, sickness and death. Well, what do you mean "what is it" -- it just happens to everybody. And well, isn”t there some solution to it

　　 Well, no, sorry. Oh gee, life wasn”t so rosy after all! We better have a good pension-plan. But it was these limitations of the sense of self that set the Buddha questioning, inquiring -- aha, the self is not all-powerful, it is not ultimate, doesn”t last forever, has its limitations too.

　　For some people it is a bit of a shock at first. When you see that you are 40 years old and have your first grey hair, it”s a bit of a shock, but you get used to it. And then we adapt to it, adjust to it and take it in to the ego realm: now we are comfortable with it. But when we begin to really see these limitations then we begin to see more clearly what the nature of this body really is, seeing clearly what it is. Which means we don”t have to feel depressed about it, to feel irritated about it -- it just is that way. This is being more at peace with the nature of it.

　　Sometimes there are experiences which we have had had before and are now in our memories which are very heavily loaded with emotional content. And to say, "Just open to them!", is a bit optimistic; because we not only open to that, we open to all this negativity we have padded around it. However, if we change our attitude to be more peaceful to that, more peaceful towards all this negativity around it, then it allows us to open it up, to see it for what it really is.

　　So, what happens

　　 If you can be really friendly towards the unpleasant, the so-called negative, what happens to it

　　 Sometimes if we can be more friendly towards the so-called unpleasant experiences they begin to open up, become like a cloud. They aren”t so solid any more. Because they are only so-called solid because of our clutching, holding attitude. To be friendly one has to relax one”s grip, one”s hold on it. And by doing that it allows us…

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