The following talk was given at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California.

Please visit our website at adiodharma.org.

So, after that short little, the Dharma words I gave this morning about birds.

Birds had been in my mind.

And there are other teachings about birds

and the sutas.

And also offer one of them

that's been meaningful for me,

maybe a few of them.

One is the idea, if you want to pick up the example in the sutas is a quail,

maybe an injured quail and bring it to safety,

you have to hold it just the right way because if you hold it too

tight, you'll crush it. But if you hold it too loose, it'll flop out of your hands and fall

on the ground. So you have to hold it kind of clearly, a little bit firmly,

but it has to be really soft, really, in no way you're going to hurt it.

And you don't want to make the bird anxious because you're pressing too much,

but just enough to keep it safe in your hand.

And that's used for an analogy for how to be mindful.

So not too firm and not too loose.

So what is that?

I can't tell you. I can just tell you the principle,

not too firm, not too loose,

...