Inevitability of Quitting
How do you stay focused on a long-term objective? What is your strategy? Without some work on your part it is almost inevitable that you will quit practicing Buddhism. It is the rare person who can continue to practice over the long haul, the course of a lifetime. This is not unique to Buddhist practice, it occurs in many aspects of life; exercise, dieting, changing habits, being organized, you name it.
It is just a whole lot easier to give up, or to find excuses why continuing is too hard. It is easier, anything is easier than spending a whole life-time working on changing your life. It would be easy to lay blame to the mindset of folks now-a-days seeking instant gratification, the easy path, the non-intrusive method, the quick fix.
I can’t say for certain, but I do think there is something unique about practicing Buddhism and simply believing in some thing that will happen at some point in the future, if only we have faith. Buddhism is hard work, it is messy work, it is constant work. And, honestly, the job never really gets done.
“Once upon a time there was a dangerous, bad road five hundred yojanas long. It was so fearful that no men lived in the neighborhood. Now many people wished to pass through this road in order to reach a place of treasures.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter VII)
So, what’s going to keep you going?
“They were led by a man, clever, wise, and well-informed of the conditions of the dangerous road.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter VII)
I think one important thing, the thing that has helped keep me going over all the years, is to keep in mind what the objective is and then keep working at it. I have never thought that it would be easy, and I have never really thought there was a better way. Enlightenment is the goal, it is the objective, that and somehow making it possible for as many people to stop suffering.
“He took them along this dangerous road, but halfway the people got tired of walking. They said to him, ‘We are tired out. We are also afraid of the danger of this road. We cannot go a step farther. Our destination is still far off. We wish to go back.’” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter VII)
When we are clear about our goal, when we can formulate what it is we seek by practicing Buddhism and when we base that on study of the sutra, it becomes much easier to determine how our practice is progressing and where we are on our path to enlightenment. Sincerely ask yourself which is the case; will stopping practice support your goal of enlightenment, or will continued practice and study?
“Make great efforts in order to obtain the Buddha’s knowledge of all things. When you obtain the knowledge of all things and the ten powers of the Buddha, and the thirty-two physical marks, you will be able to say that you attained true extinction.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter VII)
I hope that each and every one of us, you all too, will continue our practice until the day we can eliminate the sufferings of people and together reach enlightenment. Let us together travel this road.