Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)Think about your worst defeat, the time you tried your very best and still did not succeed. Think about the most embarrassing day of your life, the one you will never be able to forget. Think about the death of a loved one who is still living, an inevitability that you dread. Think intensely about these things. Think about the worst parts of them, the parts you most want to avoid.
If you do this, you will feel yourself mentally squirming in an attempt to get away from these thoughts. Notice this feeling and examine it carefully. It’s terrible to look at these things. You want to escape. You want to do anything other than think about this. Perhaps the feeling is so strong that you’re also physically squirming. Pay attention to this feeling too and consider its nature.
You are suffering under the force of attachment. You are actively experiencing how a particular intention to which you are attached can pull your attention away. In this case, the intention is your aversion to thinking about horrible things. You want to make the bad thoughts go away, by whatever means necessary.
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