“Encouraging Words” by Zen Master Guishan
It’s important to be present to why you do what you do, what makes you make the choices you do and ultimately how you measure your life. There are numerous quotes and passages that can inspire, but there are some that can rock your foundation and make you feel uneasy, yet leave a taste of what is possible should you heed their call. It is the uneasiness of truth that can be the biggest learning curve and drive you on to further your experience of your own truth. It’s what we ask of our practice every day, isn’t it? For our yoga practice to be a mirror…?Below is one such passage, which I read daily as a way to gauge, and hold on to, my path. I hope it rocks you as much as it continues to rock me.
“Encouraging Words” by Zen Master Guishan
Some day you will die.
Lying on your sick bed about to breathe your last, you will be assailed by every kind of pain,
Your mind will be filled with fears and anxieties and you will not know where to go or what to do,
Only then you will realize you have not practiced well.
The skandhas/aggregates (matter, sensations, conceptions, impulses and consciousness)
and the four elements in you will quickly disintegrate, and your consciousness will be pulled wherever your ancient, twisted karma leads it.
Impermanence does not hesitate.
Death will not wait.
You will not be able to extend you life by even a second.
How many thousands times more will you have to pass through the gates of birth and death.
If these words are challenging, even insulting, let them be an encouragement for you to change
Practice heroically
Do not accumulate unnecessary possessions.
Don’t give up.
Still your mind, end wrong perceptions, concentrate and do not run after the objects of your senses.
Practice diligently.
Be determined not to let your days and months pass by wastefully.
from ashtangalife.com
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