“There is a greed that fixes on the individual body-mind. When that greed has completely gone, then, brahmin, there will be no more inner poison-drives, without which you are immune from death.”
– Sutta Nipāta (verse 1100). Translated by Bhikkhu Saddhatissa.
This fixating distorts our recognition of behaviour possibilities available to us. To become accustomed to dissolving this fixation, regularly do this exercise from Tarthang Tulku’s Love of Knowledge (p. 255). Lying in bed at night, riding the bus or subway, in a crowded bar, walking in nature:
Observing Hearing (Exercise Thirty)
[While] focusing on sounds expand awareness to include yourself as the one who is hearing the sound. Include, as well, awareness of the ‘process’ of hearing. This practice makes the energy within sound more available to knowledge, allowing greater clarity.