Walking meditation (The Bird and The Tree)

On the cultivation of insight/wisdom
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PimonratC
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Walking meditation (The Bird and The Tree)

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credit: http://atenlightenment.wordpress.com/20 ... -the-tree/






Suppose that you have a tree at your home.
There is a nest on it. And a bird lays an egg.
That little bird, tweet tweet tweet.
It is born on that tree.
Then it slowly grows up.
Until one day, the bird can speak with you.
(…Don’t know how it grows…)



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You go to talk with the little bird about the tree it lives in.
The little bird talks about the tree and fruits it bears.
The bird tells you with joy that the tree is its.


So you are surprised.
Did you just say the tree is yours?


"Of course, I live here. It’s mine. You see?
It grows up every day. So do I. We grow up together.


When I find fertilizer and drop at its root,
it becomes stronger and bear fruits, you know?
I’m so glad. I’m so happy
when it bears fruits.


But when aphis and worms swarm it,
I’m sad. I’m worried about my tree.
My tree is going to die.
We are dying together."


You listen to the bird for a while. You become suspicious.
The bird misunderstands something.
Then you say.


"Little bird, don’t be upset but I’m telling you the truth.
The tree and the bird are not relevant."



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The bird gets angry.
You try to explain many times but it won’t understand.
You try to think how to make the bird knows the truth.


Then you speak out.
Since you have been a practitioner.
You tell the little bird. With my good wish, let’s do this, little bird.
From now on, you observe yourself and the tree.


Keep observing it.
Then you will see the truth in a while.


After that, you leave your house for a business at another place
for many years.


Later, you return to that house.
You watch the garden. You see the tree and it reminds you something.
You see the bird on the tree. It is bigger now.
You walk to the little bird.
Uh, it’s not a little bird now. It has grown up.


You think that it must realize the truth now
because it is mature.
And it has been observing. It has been watching.



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How is it, bird? Have you known the truth
that you and the tree are not relevant?
They are separated. You just think the tree is yours.



The bird says.
"What are you talking about?
You said the same thing many years ago.
And you keep talking like this.
I have been observing.
But I… Why…?
The tree is still mine."



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This time, the house owner is suspicious.
How did the bird observe? Why can’t it see
that the tree and itself are not the same thing?
It just possesses the tree. Why can’t it see?


You begin to feel that a simple thing has become difficult.
After that, the house owner secretly watches the bird to find out why it can’t see.


Just one day, not much.
That’s it…
A pity bird…
It observes the tree like a mother taking care of her child.
Then how can it know the truth?


Why? What do you mean about mother taking care of her child?



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If someone tells you that


"Hey! Your child is abusive and naughty.
He bullies his friends. He has no respect and he is filthy."


Actually, you get mad since the first word.
You won’t wait for the fourth word. You might even return him with your punch.
You get angry since the first word is spoken.
Then you are resentful. However,
Look, is it true like what they said about my child?


Your child also abuses his friends.
"Uhmm… children are like this."
…Eating filthily…
"Oh… he is hungry"
…No respect…
"Children these days are like this."
"What was the problem? That man blames my child too much."



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Two days later.
A neighbor comes to leave his child with you
because he is about to take 7-day course.
So he leaves his child with his neighbor.


Both of the children start fighting.
That boy scolds this boy. This boy scolds that boy.
They both eat greedily.


"Where are his manners? I take care of him
but he never pay me a respect"
You say, "oh, how does his mother raise him?
Why is he so naughty? He is so abusive.
He eats so filthily.
His family must be terrible."



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Like this, you know everything about the other’s child
but you can’t see anything in your own child.

This is because you look with "bias".

How long have you been practicing? I don’t give any comment.
(..But you know. Why are you asking this?…)
How long have you been observing it?
Why doesn’t it speak out that this is not its?
It’s not mine. It’s not my identity.


Because you look at the body and mind with bias.
You don’t look at them directly.
You don’t look at your child like an outsider does.
If you hire an outsider to watch,
you will see that. The outsider can say that
"both of the children are equally naughty."


But you are telling that your child is good and the other’s child is bad.
Because you look with the sense of possession.
You can’t see clearly no matter how hard you try.
You even tried your best. Why is that?
(…I just speak loudly
but I am not angry. Don’t misunderstand me…)


Here, look at this.
Is this how you do walking meditation?



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Do you see the movement?
Do you see the movement?
It is not your left and right feet that you are looking at.
You are not looking at your feet stepping.


When your mind is stable, you will see only two things.
The perceiver and the person being perceived.


It can be form, manner or behavior.
Or it can be emitting energy.


Therefore, if you do walking meditation correctly,
you will soon speak out
that these are elements. They are not me.
There are only perceiver and the person being perceived.
There is no me because these are only positions.



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While you are listening to me, feel the seat.
How does the seat feel?
Is it soft and cozy?


Before I spoke, did the seat exist?
Before I spoke, did your bottom exist?


Your bottom exists as I am speaking. So it reminds your bottom.
It reflects your bottom.


When it reflects your bottom, observe your bottom.
Do you feel the breath?


No, I don’t.


See? The sense-awareness switches off suddenly like this.
See that there are only these things. See the dharma first.
There are only the perceiver and a person to be perceived.
It is coming soon. Keep on meditation.


Do as if you are playing. Do not be too intent.
Do not press. Do not force.
Do not force because activeness will not arise.
That means the activeness of the mind will not occur.
Because you do that…



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Act as if he is a good friend.
Do like praying in the story of Konanthiwisarn.
Does the new generation learn this? You didn’t?
Am I the only one who studied it from my school?


Konanthiwisarn is a bull abused by its master.
The bull would not walk no matter how.
Until you ask someone who is passing by.
I can’t really remember. It was so long.
They said go to speak nicely with the bull.
Bull, could you please walk, something like this.
So the bull starts walking.


You can speak nicely.



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The mind is aware. It can be enlightened.
Don’t treat it like a child.
Don’t treat it like a buffalo.
It is not actually.


Just try to pile up.
It is the nature, which can be learnt and practiced.


But due to ignorance,
He is adhered to the existence. He is adhered to himself.
When being adhered to the existence, the cause of existence arises.



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Story by Dhamma Instructor: Prasert Utaichalerm




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Last edited by PimonratC on Sat Sep 14, 2013 9:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
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