The Huguenot Henri IV was willing to renounce his Protestantism and convert to Catholicism in order to secure the throne of France and the allegiance of his subjects. Sometimes we have to give up something in order to get something.
It's safe to say that there is no coursing deep in the Dharma without leaving the moorings of self behind. Sometimes we have to give up something in order to get something.
One can sit countless hours on the mat. One can listen to teisho after teisho. One can sign on for every sesshin that comes along. One can talk all the Buddhist lingo and know all the right Dharma peeps. But if one isn't willing to drop significant ego-attachment in the run of ones daily life, it really is a pitiful waste of time.
That special quirk of yours – the one that has everyone saying, "Oh yeah, so-and-so, he never takes part in that" or "Oh, so-and-so? Yeah, she has to do it this way...."– is the liberation and release promised by the Buddha worth giving that up for?
That knee-jerk reaction of yours – the one that everyone can imitate because you do it all the time – is that worth liberation and release?
That same old commentary – you know, the same paragraph of discourse you go into every time something is mentioned – is that worth liberation and release?
And what about the show you always watch, or the beverage you always have to have, or "the thing you do every Tuesday"? Are those worth liberation and release?
And what about the scary places you keep refusing to head into, the parts of your life you keep putting off, the tough decisions and the surrendering to vulnerability and embarrassment you refuse to take on? Are those worth liberation and release?
And then there's that story line by which you define yourself – the one about your parents or your upbringing or your kids or your ex or your boss or the times or your finances or the government. Is that worth liberation and release?
How many times have you heard "When preferences are cast aside the Way stands clear and undisguised" and still don't get that truer words have never been spoken?
(And lest anyone think I'm getting on my high horse here, know well that the "you" in those questions refers to me as much as anyone else!)
The universe is one, and the Dharma is of a consistent flavor throughout. Take the plunge! It's well worth it.
It's safe to say that there is no coursing deep in the Dharma without leaving the moorings of self behind. Sometimes we have to give up something in order to get something.
One can sit countless hours on the mat. One can listen to teisho after teisho. One can sign on for every sesshin that comes along. One can talk all the Buddhist lingo and know all the right Dharma peeps. But if one isn't willing to drop significant ego-attachment in the run of ones daily life, it really is a pitiful waste of time.
That special quirk of yours – the one that has everyone saying, "Oh yeah, so-and-so, he never takes part in that" or "Oh, so-and-so? Yeah, she has to do it this way...."– is the liberation and release promised by the Buddha worth giving that up for?
That knee-jerk reaction of yours – the one that everyone can imitate because you do it all the time – is that worth liberation and release?
That same old commentary – you know, the same paragraph of discourse you go into every time something is mentioned – is that worth liberation and release?
And what about the show you always watch, or the beverage you always have to have, or "the thing you do every Tuesday"? Are those worth liberation and release?
And what about the scary places you keep refusing to head into, the parts of your life you keep putting off, the tough decisions and the surrendering to vulnerability and embarrassment you refuse to take on? Are those worth liberation and release?
And then there's that story line by which you define yourself – the one about your parents or your upbringing or your kids or your ex or your boss or the times or your finances or the government. Is that worth liberation and release?
How many times have you heard "When preferences are cast aside the Way stands clear and undisguised" and still don't get that truer words have never been spoken?
(And lest anyone think I'm getting on my high horse here, know well that the "you" in those questions refers to me as much as anyone else!)
The universe is one, and the Dharma is of a consistent flavor throughout. Take the plunge! It's well worth it.
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