Follow your heart

[Seiko]

I asked Jundo a question this week. His reply included the words "Follow your own heart on what you think is right". Possibly the most important part of that statement is the Teacher's trust that I know what the right thing is, and that I have the resolve, strength, character and motivation to follow the right path. Yet I must find this confidence in my own ability to pull through. This is only my starting point.

"Follow your own heart on what you think is right."

This sounds easy, but for me, especially in the last two years, this has been a series of internal arguments with myself.

1. What do I think about an issue?

2. Wait, just watch for a while - experience what is going on - now, WHY do I think that?

3. If I examine the topic or situation again, with an open mind, putting aside all my preconceived ideas that have built up, layer upon layer, over the past 60 years, do I still reach the same opinion, the same conclusion?

4. Is any action required?

5. Setting aside emotions and attachments, looking with the heart of compassion, with the hands of Kanzeon, what action is right?

6. What action is the path to cause no harm?

7. Or if that is impossible, the path to cause the least harm?

8. Do I have the physical and mental resources, to take the right action?

9. Am I up to it?

10. How did it work out?

11. It didn't work well? Back to step 1.

Does anyone else have such internal conversations with themselves? Is there a better way to reach a decision? How can we avoid stumbling as we walk through this life?

Sorry for running long.

Bows

Seiko
stlah

[Risho]

We all have internal conversations. The most common storyline I have is how important I am. I'm joking but some of that is true.

I don't think that we do avoid stumbling. I think this practice teaches us to fall more gracefully and always get back up. I love the saying, fall down 9 times get up 10; I think that's it: INDOMITABLE SPIRIT. And by learning how to go on in uncertainty, trying our best to keep the precepts, we show others by example - not talk-, so we fulfill the Bodhisattva vows.

I personally try to live my life like this, and I constantly fail, but having a compass (of the precepts, this practice and vows - not two ... err, not three lol) really keeps me oriented when I don't know the answer And none of us really know that much; if we are lucky, we are living a life where have that exhilaration, boldly going into the unknown, but we courageously go forward into that unknown trying to do our best, knowing that we will miss the mark, but we do our best in spite of that. It's up to us to take the step and, I agree with Jundo, we have to follow our heart. This may mean not to go down one path or to go down another.

Ultimately, we just have to do something. Either we will do that consciously or the choice will be made for us because things keep moving either way.

And even if we do take that step, it may be the wrong one. That's ok; we learned something from it, pick ourselves up and continue. So in a sense, no matter which way we go sometimes (unless it will obviously cause harm, etc) it can be the right way because we can always glean something. Related teaching from Jundo

To me the most important thing is to just keep going.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

Apologies for going over - I'm done posting for the day and will sit extra.

[Suuko]

I realised a long time ago that the right intent doesn't necessarily give the right results in terms of people trusting you or creating an environment where everyone is happy. While I view things with detachment and analyze objectively a lot too, I realize that sometimes things are just as they are. You do your best, try to improve when you can and check if your intent was pure. If your intent was pure, don't beat yourself.

Gassho,
Sat today,
Lah,
Guish.



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