Whichever of the two
occurs, be patient.
From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:
Some days we drag our feet, feeling like an overloaded mule burdened with stress, worries and obligations. Other days we are full of energy, enjoying the spacious freedom of a wild mustang as it races across the open plain. When we feel like a mule, we may excuse ourselves from practice saying, “When I don’t have so much drama going on, I’ll get back to it.” When we feel like the mustang, we reason that life has to slow down before we can find time to squeeze in our practice. Either way, the intensity of life wraps itself around us, and we lose our bearings. Instead of waiting for conditions to be just right, this slogan encourages us to be steady and consistent no matter what is going on. When things are going great, they’ll eventually change; when things are awful, they’ll change sooner or later too. Our spiritual practice helps us meet the ups and downs with patience, a patience that is not passive but allows us to meet what comes courageously and creatively.
Some days we drag our feet, feeling like an overloaded mule burdened with stress, worries and obligations. Other days we are full of energy, enjoying the spacious freedom of a wild mustang as it races across the open plain. When we feel like a mule, we may excuse ourselves from practice saying, “When I don’t have so much drama going on, I’ll get back to it.” When we feel like the mustang, we reason that life has to slow down before we can find time to squeeze in our practice. Either way, the intensity of life wraps itself around us, and we lose our bearings. Instead of waiting for conditions to be just right, this slogan encourages us to be steady and consistent no matter what is going on. When things are going great, they’ll eventually change; when things are awful, they’ll change sooner or later too. Our spiritual practice helps us meet the ups and downs with patience, a patience that is not passive but allows us to meet what comes courageously and creatively.
Photo: A peach pit and a slice of peach
on a sweet potato vine leaf.
When I first began studying this slogan, I thought of a
phrase used to describe life when it wasn't unfolding as desired: “the pits.”
Being from Georgia, this expression prompted me to compare the sweet, juicy
flesh of a peach with its rough, hard pit. No matter which part of life I’m
currently experiencing – the pleasant, sweet side or the unpleasant, rough side
– it will change in time like the natural cycle of a growing season. The fertilized
peach blossom produces a fruit, which eventually ripens then rots, and then leaves
behind a pit that holds the potential for a new peach tree. If I can patiently
maintain my spiritual practice, I won’t become obsessed no matter which part of the
peach is on my plate.
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