Many years ago, I was climbing up a mountain ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro


Many years ago, I was climbing up a mountain stream by stepping and sometimes jumping from boulder to boulder. At one point, I completely lost my balance on a slippery boulder. I could easily have been left with broken bones and nobody to miss me before the next day's almsround. Instead, I found myself on my back in the stream, almost unhurt. Reviewing what had happened, I realized that my body had just succeeded in a feat of gymnastics on a level that I could never have achieved through deliberate effort.

The mind can also attain this same kind of spontaneous athleticism, not through instinct, but by training. Suddenly, and without warning, we may be faced with a severe challenge. The next thing we know is that we have emerged from it with barely a mental scratch. Only in review do we see how the Dhamma has protected our mind. It is at such moments that the results of our steady practice manifests. Joyfully we recollect the Buddha's words: “The Dhamma protects those who practise the Dhamma.

Many years ago, I was climbing up a mountain

Source:

https://www.facebook.com/jayasaro.panyaprateep.org/photos/pb.318196051622421.-2207520000.1541066562./1767915396650472/?type=3&theater