Question

Regarding Steve's comment about not needing to write down every little insight, with this in mind I try not to write notes during the Q&A. But the impulse is very strong, and I worry I would forget something, or would like to use something for later reflection so I do end up getting my notebook out. Do you think it would be good practice to try to let go of the notebook for a day or two, to work with that attachment?

Answer

Sure, but part of the practice is to develop our memory, our ability to remember things. Mindfulness. If you don't know the Pali word, that's sometimes translated into "mindfulness", it is "Sati", sometimes the compound word "Sati-Sampajano". Sati is also translated into the word "remembrance". To develop our memory.

Certainly if we are able to end our Dukkha today, it's because we remember that type of Dukkha in the past, what it's caused for us - our desires, our cravings. Today we're able to let go of it, hopefully. A lot of our practice, our growth in our practice - depends on whether we remember the Dukkha in the past. Why do we encourage you to reflect on Dukkha? Yes, remember all your Dukkha. Remember when you've done things that weren't so smart. Try to figure out how they could be better in the future. Keep that in mind.

If you only write things down and it stays in the notebook, then that's where it stays. You have to reflect on it, you have to make it go inside. You have to keep it going, keep it going.

If putting down a few notes helps some people, I'm not against that. It's not that either Rosemary or I are against it, it's just that a lot of people get caught up in writing, writing, writing stuff down, then every once in a while going back and looking at it, thinking, "Oh yes, that was neat", but they don't take it inside. They don't build it. They don't grow it. They don't reflect on it. They don't develop that wisdom for themselves. To gather wisdom from the ears and the eyes, the two main ways that we are taught; we listen, we see. That's fine, but that's just one level of wisdom, that stays on the listening and the seeing level of wisdom.

We have to reflect upon it to get it deeper, then eventually, hopefully, we know it, which is a deeper level of wisdom. So be sure to take it deeper. If you're going to write anything down, take it deeper. But if you can let go of writing it down and see what happens, you might be surprised, because, as I mentioned the other day, for me personally, I feel whatever is really strong, it will always come back.

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