Effort.

Nothing happens without effort. All our plans, all our dreams, all our best intentions stay in the mind without the effort to bring them into daily life. The Dhamma life is not a fantasy life, but it can stay that way without the effort required to make it real. The feelings of love and compassion come to nothing if we do not make the effort to bring them to reality. If we want to lose weight we must make an effort, if we want to stop smoking we must make an effort, if we want to be free, we must make an effort. As always, the Dhamma life is extremely simple, it is only the mind that complicates it. Live with love and be aware, this is the whole Dhamma but paradoxically, because it is so simple it is also difficult to practice.

Now, because of this difficulty of simplicity the mind looks for diversion and distraction – anything to avoid doing what we are supposed to do, hence religion, politics and every other form of negotiation with life! As anyone with a true meditation practice will know, it may look to others as though we just sit still and do nothing, but that very sitting still and doing nothing requires tremendous effort. Without that effort we will only stay asleep in our meditation and in our life, no matter how we may look to others. Once we prioritise our practice and make that effort, all things become possible. A life established in love and awareness is no longer a dream, but a waking reality. We only have to ask ourselves ‘Is this what I truly want?’ and listen to our heart for the answer. If it is truly what we want we will cultivate the energy we need to continue and so make the required effort!

We are always responsible for ourselves and what we empower in our life. Excuses don’t work in Dhamma! When we empower love and awareness we will meet the consequence of empowering love and awareness. This can only be beautiful, and if you want it you can have it – if you want it! But here’s the condition, it is ourselves alone who must make the effort.

May all beings be happy.