Persistence

I have spent some time in my life with Japanese Buddhists. One of their adages always tickles me when I feel like I am walking up hill against the gravity of my own indolence or resistance to change. To paraphrase: Whenever you set about vigorously to do great good, the forces of great evil will combat you just as vigorously. It may help to know that much of this Japanese Buddhist thought is centered on concepts of cause and effect, consistent with physical principles of action and reaction. 

My Japanese Buddhist friends recommended vigorous chanting of Buddhist sutra twice a day as a tonic against bad karma. I have translated this to mean that a meditative practice, centered on positive thought and action alone and in community, helps me to persist in living a healthy, mindful and compassionate life. Persistence to achieve balance.

America is becoming a land of fickle extremes, a national ADD, in a way, driven by an extremely capitalistic and superficial media. Viciously partisan conflict in politics is a reflection of this, I believe. For the slow and persistent, like myself, this can be socially alienating and challenging. There are days when I identify with ancient Irish monks who built tiny stone cells at the edge of the Atlantic, as far away from European civilization as they could manage.

Persistence is its own reward. No matter how rattled I become by culture shock, returning to the basics of my daily practice always brings me to some sense of balance. Developing a daily practice requires persistence and commitment to yourself. Making your practice a priority in your life and sticking to it, day in and day out, despite distractions or peer pressure or seductive trends, develops the muscles of positive thought and well being which enable positive living for yourself and in your environment.