Reading this in the books you may think of trying it yourself.
You'll do it like the Buddha. But you haven't considered that your car is only a small one.
The Buddha's car was a really big one, he could take it all in one go.
With only your tiny, little car, how can you possibly take it all at once? It's a different story altogether.
Why do we think like that? Because we're too extreme.
Sometimes we go too low, sometimes we go too high. The point of balance is so hard to find.
Now I'm only speaking from experience.
In the past my practice was like this.
Practicing in order to get beyond wanting... if we don't want, can we practice?
I was stuck here. But to practice with wanting is suffering.
I didn't know what to do, I was baffled.
Then I realized that the practice which is steady is the important thing.
One must practice consistently. They call this the practice that is ''consistent in all postures.''
Keep refining the practice, don't let it become a disaster.
Practice is one thing, disaster is another5. Most people usually create disaster.
When they feel lazy they don't bother to practice,
they only practice when they feel energetic. This is how I tended to be.
All of you ask yourselves now, is this right?
To practice when you feel like it, not when you don't: is that in accordance with the Dhamma?
Is it straight? Is it in line with the teaching? This is what makes practice inconsistent.
Whether you feel like it or not you should practice just the same:
this is how the Buddha taught.
Most people wait till they're in the mood before practicing,
when they don't feel like it they don't bother. This is as far as they go.
This is called ''disaster,'' it's not practice.
In the true practice, whether you are happy or depressed you practice;
whether it's easy or difficult you practice;
whether it's hot or cold you practice.
It's straight like this. In the real practice,
whether standing, walking, sitting or reclining you must have the intention to continue the practice steadily, making your sati consistent in all postures.
At first thought it seems as if you should stand for as long as you walk,
walk for as long as you sit, sit for as long as you lie down...
I've tried it but I couldn't do it.
If a meditator were to make his standing, walking, sitting and lying down all equal,
how many days could he keep it up for?
Stand for five minutes, sit for five minutes, lie down for five minutes...
I couldn't do it for very long. So I sat down and thought about it some more.
''What does it all mean? People in this world can't practice like this!''
Then I realized... ''Oh, that's not right, it can't be right because it's impossible to do.
Standing, walking, sitting, reclining... make them all consistent.
To make the postures consistent the way they explain it in the books is impossible.''
But it is possible to do this: the mind... just consider the mind.
To have sati, recollection, sampajañña, self-awareness, and paññā, all-round wisdom...
this you can do. This is something that's really worth practicing.
This means that while standing we have sati, while walking we have sati,
while sitting we have sati, and while reclining we have sati - consistently.
This is possible. We put awareness into our standing, walking, sitting, lying down - into all postures.
When the mind has been trained like this it will constantly recollect Buddho, Buddho, Buddho... which is knowing.
Knowing what? Knowing what is right and what is wrong at all times.
Yes, this is possible. This is getting down to the real practice.
That is, whether standing, walking, sitting or lying down there is continuous sati.
Then you should understand those conditions which should be given up
and those which should be cultivated.
You know happiness, you know unhappiness.
When you know happiness and unhappiness your mind will settle at the point which is free of happiness and unhappiness.
Happiness is the loose path, kāmasukallikānuyogo.
Unhappiness is the tight path, attakilamathānuyogo6.
If we know these two extremes, we pull it back.
We know when the mind is inclining towards happiness or unhappiness
and we pull it back, we don't allow it to lean over.