Cessation

A young man was seated at the breakfast table, when a wise, older gentlemen appeared for breakfast. "Good Morning," said the older man, "What will you be doing today?" "Well," replied the young man, "I'm not going to think about anything today, I'm just gonna relax and take it all in." "Good," said the old man and quietly departed. It was about 6 o'clock and the young man was seated at the dinner table. The older gent pulled up a chair and asked, "Well, how did that plan go?" The young man, dejected said, "Well, it went good for about 20 minutes, about the time I started thinking about that girl.... then, well, I don't remember too much after that. I wish I knew where I went wrong, it ended horribly. Can you help me?" The old man look into the face of the young man, smiled, then paused before taking a long deep breath. Unhurried, the old man begin to explain, "There is nothing you can do about the thoughts that come into your mind. This should now be evident to you, good. Thoughts are like clouds, they soon pass and are gone. You, however, are not gone with them, unless you allow these thoughts to guide you. Why do you insist that some clouds hang around and others not? Notice what the rest of you is doing while fixated on the characteristics of a certain cloud. You do not exist to yourself because, you are attached to the sensation these clouds produce. You are not the sensation, nor the cloud, this is your big mistake, so do not identify with them! By the way, the longer you allow a cloud to hang around, the more obsessed you will become with it. It is important to see these clouds, but not get attached to them. It is really quite impossible anyway, do you not see how you are trying to turn illusion and fantasy into reality? Hah!! Spend some time not doing so much. Those same thoughts will soon tell you that you should spend every waking moment on them. This is just not so. Remember that they can become persistent. Do not worry, they have no power unless you give it to them. When finding yourself becoming engaged, step back and consciously take a long, deep breath." The old man winked, stood up and quietly departed.

blessings, r