Day Eleven: 17 January 2006

18.01
Practice is going ‘well’, I guess; no great disturbances or agitations today, so far. When they did come, I turned them against themselves, I observed them, saw them in a good light. For, often all it takes is to flip something around and something negative gives rise to something positive, something bad gives birth to something good, and someone seen as ill-hearted also becomes someone kind. For all things and persons and feelings are relative, ever changing and mere names.

See through all this, and life, existence and breathing becomes much lighter. And that requires persistent, determined and patient practice.

21.18
Such calm, such peace, just the rising and falling of the abdomen. Even the back pain of the last couple of days seemed to have disappeared. Nothing, not the orchestra of insects, not the squealing of puppies, not the honking of passing traffic disturbed me.

Then, out of nowhere:

‘Lusting, lusting’
‘Craving, craving’
‘Desiring, desiring’