Even the Birds Came to Listen
Last night I listened (again) to a terrific talk by Ajahn Sucitto given at a recent retreat held (I think) in Thailand….you can hear tropical birds in the background!….in which there was so much wisdom and inspiration and helpful instruction to be taken in — and to be enjoyed — that I’m sure I’ll listen to it again.
Just one of the things he talked about that I found so intriguing was that there is a difference between the physical body (which ages and sag and basically falls apart) and the sensory body (which does NOT age, sag or fall apart — but which actually gets BETTER!). The physical body is what we see when we look in the mirror; the sensory body is what we feel when we sit in meditation. He talked about finding what is comfortable/pleasurable/beautiful in the sensory body and then spreading that comfort and ease into those parts that feel tight or constricted by remembering the wholesome intentions we’ve set to be open and accepting.
“Attention follows intention,” he said. Which is just one of the little jewels I’ve taken to heart from the talk.
I could go on and on…but Ajahn Sucitto does it WAY better. Listen to it here. (And thanks, Carolyn, for turning me on to that talk!)