Sometimes, while practising, it is as easy as pushing a boat over ice. At other times it is as difficult as trying to drag a cow to a well. Thus at times it goes well and at times it does not. However, when it is going well, do not be pleased. For then you will succumb to the demon of joy. And when it is not going well, do not be upset. For then you will succumb to the demon of sadness. You must just be as immovable as an incense burner before a Buddha-image and as unchanging as dried wood resting on cold ashes. Furthermore, make your intention as firm as a great mountain and your mind as vast as the ocean. Then the practice will naturally ripen and gradually you will enter wonderful states. If you practise in such a way for a very long time, then you will surely realise great awakening. Although this is the case, many monks who practise in meditation halls often just settle down in such places. Thus out of ten practitioners eight or nine are unable to pierce through the barrier of the patriarchs. How could you pierce through the barrier of the patriarchs without the greatest determination? The greatest determination is similar to the one of a beginner who has just started practising meditation.
From One Door by Kusan Sunim
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Categories: Buddhist Library, Buddhist meditation, Dharma Read, Everyday Buddhist
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