As much room to move as a violin in a violin case

From: A Trackless Path II 5
Transcript 
Audioclip (link to the audio of the full podcast)

Helen: Well I'm interested in the page on karma, page 8, and there's a Sufi saying at the bottom of it that I don't quite understand. 

Ken: Well, I may not be much help because George put this together. Oh, We have as much room to move as a violin in a violin case, but it's enough.

Helen: But that's enough. 

Ken: Yeah. 

Helen: It must be a small space 

Ken: Yeah. Okay. How much are you run by conditioning?

Helen: Oh, quite a bit. 

Ken: Percentagewise, how much free attention do you experience?  Percentagewise. 

Helen: From conditioning?  Free attention separate from conditioning?

Ken: Yeah, well, percentagewise.

Helen: That would be about one percent. Or maybe a half!

Ken: A half! Given the percentage of space in the violin case how much space does a violin have to move? 

Helen: Within that case?

Ken: Percentagewise.

Helen: Not much.  I'd say five percent, eight percent. 

Ken: It's more like half a percent too. That's what it's referring to. 

Helen: Oh. You mean now that we have actual free attention--

Ken: That's the only time we can actually change anything about our lives. 

Helen: Oh I see. Mmmm.

Ken: The rest of it, we're just running. 

Helen: Okay. Our conditioning. 

Ken: Yeah, we're being run by it. 

Helen: Sure. Okay. Thank you. 

Note:   Check out this related clip and quote from Awakening from Belief.