Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected Freedomthat ocean. Our practice should consist in seeing thesewaves as waves, passing on the surface of the ocean.Most of us are usually caught up in the activity. I still getcaught up in the waves, in the movements of mind, and Iforget, I lose perspective. Practice means rememberingperspective, and working towards an awareness thatdistinguishes the knowing itself from that which is known.We can know the sensations in the body; we can know feelings,energetic movements, mental formations, ideas, impressions,concepts, memories and fantasies. All these need to be knownas activity. If we don’t know them as activity, what happens?We become the activity and get caught up in that activity.There is a poignant saying in Japanese Buddhism: ‘Laugh, butdon’t get lost in laughter; cry, but don’t get lost in crying.’ Wecould also say, ‘Think, but don’t get lost in thinking; enjoy, butdon’t get lost in enjoyment.’Sometimes people come across Buddhist teachings orBuddhist meditation and they get the idea that peacefulnessmeans getting rid of all the content of the mind, making themind empty. In meditation it sometimes appears that themind is very open and spacious and that there’s very littlehappening. However, this does not mean that we’ve made it,that we’re enlightened. In that state of openness, clarity andspaciousness, we might experience vitality and pleasure, andif we’re not properly informed and prepared, we can makethe mistake of thinking ‘This is it! This good feeling is thepoint of it all.’ Ajahn Tate was saying that even this goodfeeling is also just the activity of the heart. The point ofpractice is to know this activity in relation to that in whichthe activity is taking place. What is it in which this activity istaking place? What is it that knows? We should cultivatean awareness that knows the knowing as well as that whichis known.6