I know what I'm doing.
It’s the other person who doesn’t.

I had been staying at one of our centers when the day turned rainy. Close to lunchtime, people began arriving via the long walkway.

I noticed a young woman who was holding an umbrella and wearing flip-flops. She’ll get her feet wet. And maybe catch a cold with this chilly wind! 

I was thinking this when I remembered that I too had worn sandals to lunch. But I had good reason! I just need to go a few paces until I’m under the awning. Just a few feet. So I was entirely justified. She’s not.

Thank goodness, all this silliness only lasted a few seconds before I caught myself. Regrettably, we perform such fault-finding comparisons all the time. We act in a similar manner, but our own behavior is justified. I have a good reason, he doesn’t. I know what I’m doing, she does not. 

And so we observe, differentiate, critique, and judge. Imagine how much more pleasant it would be just to observe and stop there. Or at least observe and conclude something pleasant.

As in, great hot pink flip-flops!

Transform admonitions into . . .

Recognize wandering thoughts for what they are—distractions.

We are working on an overdue project, one that requires concentration. But it’s also close to lunchtime. 

Up pops an image of a veggie burger and salad. We may well smile and congratulate ourselves on having decided 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 a 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 busy with one task and our thoughts stray 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.

How to know if your practice . . .