May 26th ~ The desire to free oneself from conditioning only furthers conditioning. But if, instead of trying to suppress desire, one understands the whole process of desire, in that very understanding there comes freedom from conditioning. Freedom from conditioning is not a direct result. Do you understand? If I set about deliberately to free myself from my conditioning, that desire creates its own conditioning. I may destroy one form of conditioning, but I am caught in another. Whereas, if there is an understanding of desire itself, which includes the desire to be free, then that very understanding destroys all conditioning. Freedom from conditioning is a byproduct; it is not important. The important thing is to understand what it is that creates conditioning.
February 17th, 2020 ~ Understanding is the key word here. We have a hard time to slow down enough so we can see our conditioned mind. K has talked about understanding as opposed to knowing. Knowing feels more like getting caught up in it. Understanding feels like observing. Here is another meditation from K on Understanding.