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An adept - a warrior is always the subject of her own careful scrutiny. Always asking herself the same questions. Am I really practicing? Am I really doing my best? Am I really giving 110%. Am I really letting go of my prejudices, my rightness, my stuckness, my fear? This is the joy of the way the adept lives - with commitment and really demanding the very best from herself as often as she can.
The important word in all this, the one that comes up over and over again is really.
Why wouldn’t anyone choose to live with this freedom and power? The power to make every day of life a joyful challenge. The answer is no one chooses not to live like this – the enemy makes this choice.
The enemy, whose name is fear or inertia, small mindedness – whatever hat it is wearing that day, is very clever. It tells you that it is wisdom, practicality, reasonable caution, maturity. It is whispering in your ear right now as the moments of your life disappear – telling you not to change anything. It is depriving you of your spirit, your freedom, your courage. It is depriving you of your life
photo credit: Neal.
Thank you!
@Vicki
Thank you too Vicki. I guess you read all these – I’m very happy about that.
Fear, inertia, small mindedness, blame, feeling sorry for myself, being a victim. Stealing my time, stealing my Qi, stealing my BEING. With my consent. NO MORE!!! Recommitting to living with heart. Thanks Sensei.
@Rebecca
Make it so!
As you keep reminding me, I remind myself to stop the fear and mostly inertia. Thank you for the elegant continual guiding work you do with me.
This eloquent post lays the formless foundation for a new space tonight – a space with no walls, no boundaries, no lines, NO THOUGHTS. As always, thank you.
Sometime ago during a zen talk you gave at kanzeon you made mention of that if one day you had your own group of students you would like to challenge them much the same way that the old chinese masters did in the koans: By observing them doing everyday things and then challenging them on the nature of those things. It seems as though this vision has been realized. You set us (your students) to socialization and through that medium challenged me and thus reflected my own illusion. This has reinvigorated the spirit of the adept within myself and has allowed me to cast away that piece that always said things like “not now, the timing isn’t right” or that the world or people were just not right. -The way is my own; I’m letting go-
Lao Shur She She