How a Shower got me Thinking about Skillful vs Unskillful Actions
I was having my usual morning shower, doing my best to be mindful of the activity, when I had a sudden impulse to increase the water temperature. Instead of acting on that impulse, I observed it carefully.
Upon close examination, this impulse was an attachment reaction to the pleasant sensations of the warm water on my skin. I wanted “more” of that pleasant sensation, more of that initial bodily pleasure and relaxation that you get when you first step into a warm shower. Since my body had acclimatized to the water temperature, I would need to increase it to recreate that feeling.
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