When dharma fills your body and mind, you understand that something is missing.I don't know if dharma is filling my body and mind or not, but the "something is missing" part is getting clearer and clearer, bigger and bigger, all the time.
– Dōgen
With each passing day I see more beings not liberated, more blind passions not uprooted, more dharma gates not gone through. And the "Great Way of Buddha" – not much attainment there, either, I'm afraid.
Aspiration doesn't move from a position of fullness; that's just greed based on arrogance. Aspiration moves from an ever increasing sense of lack. The vows get greater the more one perceives just how goshdarn far one is from their realization.
I can remember one of the first times I joined in the Four Vows in the zendo. What thoughts I had about what I could accomplish!
These days I'm just grateful I can bring the words to voice and have yet another day to keep at them.
Thank you so much for these words. I've been struggling with that sense of "something missing" and have not been attending to lacing up my sandals. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to have found your blog via my friend, the Ox Herder.