Unexpected Freedom

The Power of Paradoxpractising in an ultimately simplified situation. There arealmost no distractions. It is conducive to the inward focusof our attention, its becoming increasingly subtle throughthe medium of quietness. If we pay careful feelingattentionin the right way and at the right time, we canidentify this tendency to judge everything, and begin tolook at it objectively.To take an example, let us say a desire arises in the mindto seek out praise or recognition. You feel it is about timeyou were recognised for your talents and qualities and youwish to hear someone praise these attributes. So you think,‘I’ll just go off and perform in front of somebody so that theygive me a little praise.’ Now, perhaps I’m putting things alittle crudely, but the fact is, our minds often work in suchways. So this desire arises, but then when you recognise ityou start thinking, ‘Oh how awful! That shouldn’t behappening; I should be beyond wanting affection and praise.I’ve been practising all these years and I’m still having thiskind of state of mind.’Once when I was complaining to Ajahn Chah about howunfortunate I was with all the health problems I was having,hoping to gain some sympathy, he said to me sternly, “If itshouldn’t be this way, it wouldn’t be this way.”Everything that happens in our life happens as a result ofcauses. There are causes for every phenomenon that arises,inwardly and outwardly, so without doubt those phenomenashould be there. There are causes for you to think thosethoughts. There are causes for you to feel those feelings. Thecurious thing that we neglect to understand is that ourproblem is not that we are having such thoughts – the causesfor which lie in the past over which we have no control – butthat we are judging ourselves for having them. By saying toourselves, ‘I shouldn’t be thinking these thoughts or feeling93