Hi Sangha and Friends,
In the Ask the Religion Experts column this week, the question was about resolutions. I wrote:
.......at year-end, when , with the past experience in mind, we ask the question “in what ways do I intend to contribute?”, again with those three areas (wisdom/learning, purposeful action and fulfilling ethical responsibilities). This permits us to set our path for the coming year, as one might sketch a path before a journey. We understand that life is not ours to construct, many hands, human and otherwise, control the outcomes. All we control is our intention and action. Thus, as the year begins, we step into it as one would on a journey, with direction, energy and determination. We expect to be sometime successful and sometimes frustrated. We wish to emphasize intention, direction and action, not accomplishment.
To view the whole column, go to The ARE Archive
in the Dharma,
Innen, doshu
Innen, your last line is extremely important. Any focus on accomplishment runs the risk of introducing "I" into the discussion. I accomplished this or that, which runs the risk of a focus on ego. We're best focusing on the journey rather than a destination.
ReplyDeleteKanZan