Stick To It
“Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.” (Josh Billings pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw 1818 – 1885)
Sometimes I think the most useful thing I can do as a priest, as a teacher, is to merely encourage a person to continue the practice of the Lotus Sutra without giving up, though I am not always successful. My role, more than anything else, is I believe not so much to impart knowledge or wisdom but to try to be a cheerleader for each person to pursue their practice for their entire lifetime.
I know from my own experiences that staying with one thing for a length of time can be difficult, yet of all the things that have come and gone in my life Buddhism has always been there, and my life has been better for it.
When I began writing these daily postings I didn’t think of it so much as teaching, instead I hoped it would be encouraging. While it is true that any amount of practice of the Lotus Sutra and Buddhism is beneficial and noteworthy, it is the life long endeavor that yields the greatest benefit.
Thinking of the lowly postage stamp is a good analogy for how something so seemingly unimportant actually performs something very valuable, but only as long as it adheres to the envelope.
If we think of the Buddha who originally sought to relieve the sufferings of mankind he accomplished his mission by continuing unrelentingly, by not stopping or turning away from his original thought. It is true his teachings are great, however without his dedication and lifelong endeavors we would not be able to practice and attain enlightenment for ourselves.
“I expound the Dharma without hindrance. I appeared in this world in order to give peace to all living beings. Sariputra! I expound this seal of the Dharma in order to benefit all living beings of the world.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter III)
To practice even for a moment is noteworthy, to practice for a lifetime is praiseworthy.
