But it could have come from me as well, but it didn't.
Okay, go ahead.
Bhante, I have questions.
What is the recommended method of ridding oneself of an annoying song playing in one's head during meditation?
I suffered from an old Bowie song for almost two weeks.
Should I refrain from music and film in the future?
It is actually two different questions.
How to get rid of the song and whether you should refrain.
Because there's actually nothing wrong with the song.
You're not plagued by
When you say plagued, I suffer.
You're not suffering from the song, not any more than you suffer not having the song in your head.
The song itself is no more suffering than any other experience.
The suffering comes from your desire to be free from it, your desire to not have the song playing in your head constantly, repeatedly.
And so on.
And that comes from a misunderstanding or a delusion of self, the idea that you can somehow control that.
The idea that somehow it is you that is experiencing that song comes from the frustration of thinking you can stop it and so on.
Once you see impermanent suffering and non-self, it won't bother you that there are songs playing in your head if there are songs playing in your head.
No, the reason why you should probably refrain from music and film is because of the dulling quality it has to cultivate delusion, the addictive quality that it has to create greed, and therefore to create anger when you don't get what you want, or as in this case when it
arises in your head.
So it's not the fact that it's arising in your head that is a sign that you should stop watching movies or listening to music.
It's the fact that you become irritable when it isn't according to your desire.
And that irritation and that delusion as well, thinking that you can somehow control it, is related to your addiction to film and music and entertainment and anything that's addictive in general.