It’s just the way things work here…
Priest of the Dao - Give more with less. One’s ego is an obstacle.
The Way It Is.
There is nothing to achieve. Everything you do is like eating. You do not eat just once, you eat periodically until the body no longer can sustain life. And you do this continuously, usually it is daily. And it’s one bite at a time. Most activity works this way. It’s because the human body and mind work this way. One thing at a time until the body vanishes.
Effort Works This Way as Well.
You do not put forth effort just one time, you put forth effort until the body no longer can put forth effort. Most of your time is put into the effort you make. You may think you are going after something and getting somewhere but you are not. There is nowhere to go and there are no graspable results. If you think there are results, you are merely thinking about an illusion. When you pair effort with a result, you become driven by the result. Your desire to finish the imaginary result overshadows effort. The result is a delusion you imagine and whips you to strive.
It is better to pair your effort with concentration on your effort and not on the result. Give excellent, correct, thorough and complete effort!
The effort is vital. And it is very important to yoke it to concentration.
If the result is where your focus is, you do not know how things work here. You are foolish and you live a fool’s life. You are going after something that does not exist. There is no line to finish, there is, however, effort. Be determined with the work at hand. That’s it!
When you run after stuff, you worry you won’t succeed. Success is a trick. You are like a man chased by an attack dog. You run towards a locked door worried about the attack dog. You are unable to focus on the key in your pocket that unlocks the door. You make a frenzied, fearfilled effort with the locked door or the attacking dog in mind rather than on the key in your pocket.
When you are frenzied & frightened you use your effort halfwitted. We need all are wits to give all our effort to the work at hand.
Effort is like a bag of gold and you must decide where to spend it. What do you spend it on? How do you use it? This question is important. At some point you run out of effort, but until you do, it is important to know how you use it.
Pair it with concentration. Be deliberate with your effort. Concentrate on your effort and not on the result. Don’t waste it. Spend it to gather your attention around a single-pointed effort at the end of your finger tips. Concentrate your effort on what is right in front of you.
That’s it.
If you are interested in receiving practice reminders, or The Fundmentla Point subscribe. AND…what’s next!
www.asinglethread.net - www.zatma.org
If you have questions, please send them to: yaoxiangeditor@substack.com. The Fundamental Point! May it be useful to your spiritual work.
Subscribe for free to receive new posts.