Motivation
When we enter the Buddhadharma we do it for several reasons. Hardly anyone looks for it on its proper sake. Some of us hope for an immediate alliviation of all kinds of difficulties, some are full of enthusiasm and hope for fast progress, as we are used to from our achievement-oriented surroundings.
And then, after some time and having followed the Lama’s instructions comes the phase of felt stagnation, often followed by resignation or frustration. We keep asking ourselves why we are practicing and don’t feel more joy in our lifes, as promised. Many give up in this phase, bemoaning ourselves and our environment.
We are practicing methods to transform our disturbing emotions into their essence but at the same time do not want to change anything in the way how we live, hold on to old habits. Accelerating and braking at the same time!
But only then do we really get near the start of our Buddhist life. Why is that? Because then do we restructure ourselves, anew and the basic contemplations do their job; to change our basic motivation, the ways and means how we look at ourselves and the world around us changes radically. Renunciation then arises from the midst of our being as living truth of the nullity and our own view, formerly outer, volatilize things and connections oriented, etc. is exchanged in favor of everlasting truth, recognizing the interdependency of all conditioned existence and the nullity of all worldly achievements and importance directly in our hearts.
That does not mean that at this point, everyone needs to become monk or nuns. If we can, that is wonderful as it is the most comforting, simple and precious way to live. We continue with our jobs, of course according to right livelihood, relations and connections but in our heart we know of the illusonary nature of all, keeping our attachment in place, and preparing the soil to develop on our spiritual path to let our practice really bear fruit: For all sentient beings.
With this motivation and in application of our newly defined, right motivation, then all we think, say and do, our spritual practice particularly for the benefit of all senting beings so they may reach enlightenment, we finally yield the ripe fruit of all of Lord Buddha’s promises of a joyful, precious human life, as a side effect.
