The moral of the story: attachment is monkey-business.
On a more serious note, the root cause of attachment is ignorance. The monkey has placed a greater value on the banana than its own freedom. To let go of the banana, it must exercise conscious detachment from the object of desire (a banana in this case). You consciously detach yourself from something for a few weeks and letting go happens automatically. You quit taking tea, for example, for a few weeks and the desire to have tea will let go of itself. Try it to believe me.
Besides, letting go isn’t as hard as it sounds. You let go of your thoughts, body and mind before you go to bed every night. In fact, it’s not possible to fall asleep without letting go. The rejuvenation and peace you experience in sleep is because you let go. If you want a similar feeling in your waking life then sooner or later, letting go is a must.
Whatever it is that you are attached to, it will tie you down. It’s as simple as that. Whether that’s good or bad is your personal perspective. The prison of mind is built using the bricks of desires that are cemented in attachment. Awareness is the only door, mindfulness the only window. Vairagya, detachment, is the only dozer to raze this prison.
If mind is a monkey, banana is the desire. That clenched fist is the attachment and the wise farmer symbolizes detachment. All climbed up on the tree of life. And, coconut? What’s coconut? It’s samsara.
On a more serious note, the root cause of attachment is ignorance. The monkey has placed a greater value on the banana than its own freedom. To let go of the banana, it must exercise conscious detachment from the object of desire (a banana in this case). You consciously detach yourself from something for a few weeks and letting go happens automatically. You quit taking tea, for example, for a few weeks and the desire to have tea will let go of itself. Try it to believe me.
Besides, letting go isn’t as hard as it sounds. You let go of your thoughts, body and mind before you go to bed every night. In fact, it’s not possible to fall asleep without letting go. The rejuvenation and peace you experience in sleep is because you let go. If you want a similar feeling in your waking life then sooner or later, letting go is a must.
Whatever it is that you are attached to, it will tie you down. It’s as simple as that. Whether that’s good or bad is your personal perspective. The prison of mind is built using the bricks of desires that are cemented in attachment. Awareness is the only door, mindfulness the only window. Vairagya, detachment, is the only dozer to raze this prison.
If mind is a monkey, banana is the desire. That clenched fist is the attachment and the wise farmer symbolizes detachment. All climbed up on the tree of life. And, coconut? What’s coconut? It’s samsara.