Grocery Bag

Realizing that the self is empty, as empty as a used grocery bag, is difficult. That realization is a tall order. It's a hard row to hoe. Because, who wants to be a used grocery bag? Maybe it's torn. Maybe it's stained. Maybe it's got an old wrinkled receipt in the bottom. What could possibly be more useless than a torn-up used grocery bag with a wadded-up receipt.

There's a better way! Well, maybe not better, but at least more practical. The trick is to put yourself on a shelf, like in the garage or the kitchen. A shelf where plain old simple useful stuff rests until it's needed (not living room shelves filled with cool knick-knacks and books). I'm talking about shelves where you put junk until you need it. 

If you put yourself on a shelf, life gets so much easier. And then you can go get your self, any time you need it!  And it's easy. You don't have to be a Shamatha expert to do it.

Here's the kicker. If your self is on a shelf, and some flying spirit guru, maybe even Shakyamuni, needs to get something done in Samsara, why, they'll just grab the part that's not on the shelf, and use it! What could be more fun than that?


3/26/25