In China, monkeys are caught in a very special way. The trapper first takes a coconut. He then makes a hole on its side just big enough for a hand to go through when it is not clenched into a first. He then places some peanuts in the coconut and puts it in a spot where monkeys usually visit. Before leaving the coconut behind, he would scatter some peanuts around the coconut. Sooner or later, a curious monkey would come along. It would first eat the peanuts on the ground. Then, it would find the coconut and see that it is full of peanuts. When it puts its hand into the hole to help itself to the peanuts, it would be unable to withdraw its hand, which is now a fistful of peanuts. No matter how hard it struggles and pulls, it would not get free. It would cry out loud and become very anxious. Every monkey has to do is to let go of the peanuts to get free, but it would not want to do that . In this situation, the monkey is easily caught by the trapper.
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We are like the monkey. We want to be free from suffering, but we are not willing to let go of our desires, which so often get us into trouble. This is the Second Noble Truth."
