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Entries from March 1, 2021 - March 31, 2021

Wednesday
Mar312021

Recognize wandering thoughts

for what they are—distractions. 

We are working on an overdue project, one that requires concentration. But it’s also lunchtime. Up pops a picture of a veggie burger and french fries. We may well smile and congratulate ourselves on deciding what to eat, but those thoughts are distractions that break our concentration.

Or maybe we’re chanting “Amituofo” at a Pure Land center and remember that we need to stop by the store on the way home and get a birthday present for a friend. Maybe that book she wants? Yes, this too is a distraction—thinking about where to get that present as opposed to chanting.

If we’re working on one project and move our thoughts elsewhere, then our original train of thought is broken. These wandering thoughts distract us. It will take time to get back into what we were previously doing. That’s time wasted. No matter how brilliant a distracting idea, that’s what it is—a distraction.

So think this way: wandering thoughts equals distractions.

Monday
Mar292021

Thursday
Mar252021

Tuesday
Mar232021

“But I want to help people now, 

not sometime in the future.” 

Upon learning that our primary goal is to seek birth in the Pure Land now and come back to help people afterward, we might protest “I want to help now!”

While our wish is admirable, our abilities are limited. And so in trying to help, our efforts often prove mistake ridden and clumsy. We realize there isn’t much we can do to help others. A further complication is that our life can end at any moment. As someone recently said to me, “If we don’t attain birth in our current lifetime—what a waste.”

To not waste this life, we need to focus. How? We can ask ourselves:

What is my ultimate goal?

How much time will I devote to my practice and learning?

Will this be enough to accomplish my goal?

Am I honestly doing everything I can to progress?

What inspires me to practice or study when I’d rather do something else?

What is the one book or recorded talk that I can really get into by listening to or reading regularly?

And perhaps the ultimate question:

How much time do I have left in this lifetime? 

Sunday
Mar212021