Mistakes in Practice

It is when your practice is rather greedy that you become discouraged with it. So yoou should be grateful that you have a sign or warning signal to show you the weak point in your practice.

Usually when you practice zazen, you become very idealistic, and you set up an ideal or goal which you strive to attain and fulfill.

Because your attainment is always ahead, you will always be sacrificing yourself now for some ideal in the future.

But even worse than this idealistic attitude is to practice zazen in competition with someone else.

It is when your practice is rather greedy that you become discouraged with it. So you should be grateful that you have a sign or warning signal to show you the weak point in your practice. At that time, forgetting all about your mistake and renewing your way, you can resume your original practice.

Another mistake will be to practice for the sake of the joy you find in it.

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouoraged by this, we should continue it.

You encourage yourself when you get tired of it. When you do not want to do it, that is the warning signal.

The cause of conflict is some fixed idea or one-sided idea.