Stick To It

Endurance and moderation are the foundation, the beginning of our practice. To start, we simply follow the practice and the schedule set up by ourself or in a retreat or monastery. To train an animal, we will have to restrain it; likewise, we also need to restrict ourselves. An animal which is difficult to train should be given little food. Here we have the ascetic practices to limit ourselves in regard to food, robes and living quarters, to bring us down to bare essentials, to cut away infatuation.

These practices are the basis of concentration. Constant mindfulness in all postures and activities will make the mind calm and clear. But this calm is not the end point of practice. Tranquil states give the mind a temporary rest, as eating will temporarily remove hunger but that is not all there is to life. You must therefore use the calmed mind to see things in a new light, that is the light of wisdom.

When the heart becomes firm in this wisdom, you will not adhere to worldly standards of good and bad and will not be swayed by external conditions. With wisdom, dung can be used for fertilizer, all our experiences become sources of insight. Normally we want praise and dislike criticism, but seen with a clear mind, we see them as equally empty. Thus, we can let go of all these things and find real peace.

Do not worry about how long it will take to get results, just do it mindfully. Practice endurance, if your legs hurt, tell yourself, "I have no legs". If your head aches, then tell yourself, "I do not have a head", if you get sleepy when sitting at night, think that "it is daytime". During meditation using mindfulness of breathing, if you have uncomfortable feelings in the chest, take a few long deep breaths. If you mind wonders, just hold your breath and let the mind go where it will and it will not go far.

You can change postures after an appropriate time but do not be a slave to your restless or feelings of discomfort. Sometimes it is good just to sit on them. You feel hot, legs are painful, you are unable to concentrate, just tell it all to die off. The feelings will get more and more intense and then hit a breaking point, after which you will be calm and cool. But the next day, your mind will not want to do it again. Training yourself requires constant effort. By practising over a long period of time, you will learn when to push, when to relax, learn to separate physical fatigue from laziness.

Do not worry about enlightenment. When growing a tree, you plant it, water it, fertilize it, keep the bugs away and if these things are done properly, the tree will naturally grow. How quickly it grows, however, is something that is beyond your control.

At first, endurance and persistence are necessary but after a time, faith and certainty arise. Then you see the value of practice and want to do it; you want to avoid socializing and be yourself in quiet places; you seek additional time just to practice and to study yourself.

Just do the practice beginning with the basic steps - being honest and clean and being aware of whatever you do. All the rest will eventually follow.