There's a kind of monkey trap that's being used :
A coconut is dug out and attached by a rope to a tree or stick in the ground.
At the bottom of the coconut a small slit is made and some sweet food is placed inside.
The hole at the bottom of the coconut is just big enough for a monkey to slide in his open hand, but does not allow for a closed fist to pass out.
The monkey smells the sweets, reaches in with his hand to grasp the food but is unable to withdraw it cos the clenched fist can't pass through the opening.
When the hunters arrive, the monkey becomes frantic yet he can't run away.
If you think about it -
There is no one keeping that monkey captive, except the force of its own greed and attachment.All that it needs to do is open its hand.
But so strong is the force of greed in the monkey mind that only a rare monkey will be able to let go.
Do you think the monkey is stupid/foolish?
If you think the monkey is stupid/foolish,
Then Remember -
That's how you are ..............
When you can't/refuse to let go!
"Holding on is not just about physical material things;
But also about the holding on to Fixed/False Views, Ignorance, Grudges, Anger and Hate, Power, Fame and Fortune,
Which is just as bad, if not worse."
"The practice of Dhamma is to change our attitude towards Life and to give up attachment to worldly concerns."
"The more we are unattached to the happiness of this life,
The more we will have happy peaceful lives."
* (Note : By the way, this entry is NOT to encourage anyone to use the above method to trap monkeys or any other beings, cos' that's an inhumane thing to do.)
