28 March 2012

Borne by the Dharma

The other day I made up some nonsense: "The whole tradition says over and over again that we are of such a nature as to be borne by the Dharma…"  Truth be told, I don't think I've ever read or heard anything like that before, so making a claim about "the whole tradition" is overstated.  Nonetheless, I still say, whether the tradition says so or not, "We are of such a nature as to be borne by the Dharma."

I am consistently struck at just how well the Dharma(-vinaya) meets my stupidity and attachment and defilement and shows – with utter clarity and directness – how it is I'm banging my head against the wall and what I can do to stop.  I've not been practicing all that long, but I've yet to be disappointed in what the Dharma teaches.  In fact, I've found that it is a teacher above and beyond my wildest hopes and expectations.  It hits all the right points in all the right ways.

A phrase that's often used in the canon with reference to the Dharma is "good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end."  Other substitutes for "good" here I've seen are "admirable" and "fine."  Any of them will work.  The Dharma cannot be esteemed highly enough.

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