4. THE POTENTIAL FOR EMOTIONAL CLINGING

Certainly a Master, not unlike a sports or movie star, is a perfect target for foolish adoration and clinging, but to those of an acquisitive nature --and they are the majority in this world-- anything that has the gilt and gloss of apparent beauty or greatness is likewise clung to.

The acquisitive temperament is less that of a Sparrow and more like a Magpie that is attracted to shiny objects and brings them to its nest. It is curiously one of the few animals that is able to recognize itself in a mirror. While its collection of shiny objects has a biological advantage that same act in a human creature has no great biological advantage and is contrary to natural behavior.

It is strange that those who can clearly see a clinging to possessions in this world as folly can cling to something just because it has the label of being transcendental.

If a master was to tell them that all is attained by repeating some stock phrase while counting sheep he would be scorned, but the presence of a simple string of attractive sandalwood or marble beads is sufficient to generate a clinging. One can cling to temples, incense, ceremony, ritual and even meditation just for the transcendental beauty.

The Buddha suggested that different temperaments require different meditation sites. What was suggested for an acquisitive person? A graveyard filled with the dead and bloated corpses. It is not easy to cling to a bloated corpse, is it?

Look at your meditation spot. What does it contain? A beautiful Buddha, flowers, a thousand and one items that have transcendental significance. But without the power to penetrate that significance they are useless. Yet too many are happy deluding themselves that they are advancing because the transcendental beauty calms their minds just as music can.

Look at your altar. Place a pile of dog excrement in the center to represent Buddha, a pile of writhing termites are good for the Sangha and a putrid tomato is a good symbol for the Dharma. A stained altar cloth is a good addition.

Do you get the idea?

If you cling to the rituals then you must ask, who is it that is clinging?

The whole object of meditation is to reduce the self to ashes, yet you rise that self up when there is any form of clinging. Don't look for an intensity in that clinging; even the simple Identity "liking" is Clinging.

Yes, this acquisitiveness is very subtle.

What about those things that you dislike? I am afraid, my friend, that that too is acquisitiveness, for you cling to the dual counterpart.