There’s a well-known story about a sitar player (in some versions, it’s a lute player) who was discouraged with his meditation practice and went to the Buddha to ask for instruction.
“What happens when you tune your instrument too tightly?” the Buddha asked.
“The strings break,” the musician replied.
“And what happens when you string it too loosely?”
“When it’s too loose, no sound comes out,” the musician answered. “The string that produces a tuneful sound is not too tight and not too loose.”
“That,” said the Buddha, “is how to practice: not too tight and not too loose.”
So much of my efforts have gone to the avoidance of restraints or conflicts, to freedom from expectations, schedules, demands.
But here, in my freedom, I find myself longing for something to push against, to resist, so I can at least have a shape again.
And that is where I find myself, deep in the Dukkha of Freedom:
Too much! Too much!
Too little! Too little!
Daily Braveries 