Our lives will never be perfect here in samsara.

Striving to become a better person, trying to follow the guidance we receive, we can become frustrated when running into obstacles and seeming contradictions. At such a point, we can become discouraged. Why are our good actions failing to produce good results? And why haven’t we progressed further? Because change takes time. It takes patience and hard work to remain focused on our vow to end suffering and attain lasting happiness.

There will always be obstacles in samsara. As the warning goes, “Good work, more trouble.”

Our sincerely trying to improve does not eliminate our karmic consequences. Nor will obstacles just go away, allowing us to progress smoothly in our practice. Nothing is easy here in samsara. Neither is there perfection. Accepting this will help us to be resilient, to keep plugging away, when we encounter seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The obstacles are temporary, and as long as we do not give up, they will be overcome.