Pilgrimage 2

"The greatest assassin of life is haste, the desire to reach things before the right time which means overreaching them."

-Juan Ramon Jimenez-

The next step on my way of the pilgrimage is not to get into a hurry. To settle down and not worry about the train connections and pushing my way onto the train in front of others. Just to simply let what happens, happen. It is difficult to come to this after a week of work and being often caught up in the swirl of haste. By practicing this on my pilgrimage, I hope I can bring it into my every day. This has also been an inner quality of mine, to try to hurry on, to get something with my training. To want more now than what is given. And, of course, I have been constantly taught that this does not help. In fact, it hinders me from being with That Which Is Greater than myself. At these times I try to remember what Reverend Master Jiyu Kennet http://obcon.org/saf.html said:

"Just let it be enough to know the Unborn, and to feel It coursing through your veins. Don't try to do more. And when it is time to act, trust the Buddha Nature to guide you instead of trying to figure everything out with your mind."

So, underway, it is good to learn that it is enough to be underway. Not to be trying to arrive before my feet have carried me there. There is so much to learn, so much to practice on the way. A constant journey. Being open to what is there will also prepare me to act in accordance with the circumstances instead of acting with how I see or want the circumstances to be. There are things that will show me which way, like the little bridge that I walk across after getting off the train or the sign that points to the way in the right direction. And sometimes, just looking up in the sky I can see whether it is good that I walk or better to call for a ride. This is all practice of how to live my everyday life. This is also the practice of my small pilgrimage to the temple. No haste when none is needed. Be there with what is. Feet firmly planted, eyes open and heart looking for direction.