Published Sunday, 19 December 2021
As a beautiful flower
without fragrance is disappointing,
so are wise words
without right action.Dhammapada v.51
It is easy to utter wise words, but not always easy to act wisely. Before we can act wisely we need to have our hearts and minds aligned with that which is true, that which is real. If we are honest, we will likely admit that a lot of the time the internal verbiage we have happening in our heads is stories we keep telling ourselves: I am this sort of person, I am that sort of person. To act truly wisely and effectively that compulsive story-telling needs to be undermined. Not necessarily stopped, because such mental phenomena can have momentum that takes time before ceasing. In the meanwhile we can exercise conscious inner listening. We can discipline our attention, so instead of sort of listening, we can make an effort to really listen. Try sitting alone in a chair, not formally meditate, and simply listen; not take sides for or against anything that arises. When we take sides for, then that which we are against can be emboldened. Neither taking sides for nor against is not abdication of responsibility, it is a way of expanding our sense of awareness so we have a clearer perspective on habits of conditioned thinking and feeling.