Yogi: I was looking after an elderly person 24/7 who has virtually no memory. I was very aware when the mind tended to move to a place that was different from where it was. ‘Oh, this is boring, this shouldn’t and I could have.’ Whenever there is that movement, my body tenses up.
It was a lovely reminder of coming back again and again to not wanting things to be different – just very simply reminding myself not wanting it to be different. Then, it was actually very relaxing.
There is something about being reminded of not wanting things to be different, not needing things to be different.
Sayadaw: The mind has learnt to have that right attitude and it helps the mind again, and again and again.
When there is the right thought, it is so relaxing for the mind; whenever the wrong thought comes up, it can immediately see the change in the mind’s attention and so on.