"When something really good happens and the mind starts generating all kinds of excitement, that’s when you’ve got to steady it, so you can watch what happens next. You don’t want to get excited by your insights, because the really useful insights come in watching what happens after an impressive insight. If you’re excited by the first insight, you miss the important point: Where does it lead? We’re trying to watch cause and effect.
When the Buddha boiled down what happened on the night of his awakening, he described it as the discovery of a causal principle. Sounds pretty mundane. But he realized it was essential to his awakening, seeing what caused what, and then how you could manipulate the causes to get the results going in the direction you want them to go.
So when an insight comes, see what happens as a result of having that insight. Don’t get carried away by it. Maintain your steadiness. Some very interesting things happen after the initial burst of insight and more subtle insights can arise. Be really careful about the level of balance you maintain." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Balance & Release"
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