Last week I talked about perhaps most central of all the Buddhist teachings, and it's also

found in all the wisdom traditions, and this is the teaching on non-clinging.

That our freedom comes when we're not grasping, when we're not trying to have life be different.

It comes in the moments of really letting be and letting go.

And I explored how our habit is to seek happiness in ways that might give temporary hits, but

don't really satisfy us in a deep way, don't really bring happiness.

And so the inquiry, and I'd like to continue it tonight because it is relevant for every

person I know in terms of waking up and being more free, is really how do we relate to

desire to that habits that we have of taking false refuge, which we all have?

How do we relate wisely to that in a way that can really free us, that can really allow

us to touch true happiness?

And I'd like to begin with a story that I heard of a father who took his 14-year-old son

to a Buddhist potlock dinner.

As it turned out, one of the men at the dinner had a few too many beers.

So on the right home, this father had to take the opportunity to explain the Buddhist teachings

on moderation to his son, to be mindful of craving and so on.

And so the son said the next morning he spoke to say, I said, Dad, I have a story that

I just made up.

And then this is the story his son told him.

He said, there were these two Buddhist monks who had about 13 beers each.

One had to walk home quite some distance.

Will you be all right to walk home?

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