Clarity and lightness

(from a dhamma talk given by Ajahn Sona)

Clarity and lightness, that is what we have come for.

 To live a simple life, abide by the eight  precepts that will help us realise those characteristics of existence, one we have difficulty reaching in our daily lives.

 refraining from intoxicants, from lying, from entertainment and luxury... And perhaps most challenging of all, refraining from sexual conduct, the one human experience that so encapsulates all extremes of physical and emotional contact.

All of these simple restraints will help us detach from the attachments and worldly material objects we are so used to in daily life. For ten days, all we have to work with, all we have to work on, is the mind. No phones, no Internet connections, no need for study or the learning of great long texts. Just study mind, how it works, how it runs around, and how to tame it. Loose all the mundane chores, loose all the attachments to things and people we normally have.

I've been told I'm insane to isolate myself for so long. But really, how many people are there who can take the time out, who willingly put their life on halt in the pursuit of spiritual wellbeing and development?

It won't be easy, and it will take time to settle down and bring your mind and body to this one place. But once that can be done, there is a lot of inner potential to be discovered... You can free yourself from fear, free yourself from constant worry, free whims of desire and longing, free yourself from being a driven by changes of emotions, which sway and change like the wind. You can liberate yourself, lift yourself up, and feel a sense of tranquility and happiness unmatched by anything that the material world can provide

In the end, if you succeed, there can be more clarity, and you will feel lighter.