Centered

There’s a lot of work going on right now, getting ready for the event in two weeks. So it’s good to get some strength. The strength doesn’t come from running around. Strength comes from being still. So focus your mind right on the breath. Try to stay with the breath coming in, the breath going out, wherever you feel it in the body. Try to breathe in a way that’s comfortable so that the mind will be willing to stay. And then just keep watch over your mind.

Have a strong sense of conviction that your mind is the most important thing you have right now. It is always the most important thing you have. So take care of it directly right now. It needs to rest. It needs to gain some strength. But its resting isn’t just sleeping. The real strength comes from exercising your mindfulness and alertness at the same time.

So keep in mind the fact you’re going to stay with the breath. Then be alert to watch over the mind and the breath to make sure they stay together. Try to bring them into harmony, because it’s when they’re working together that you get the most out of them. The breath fills the body. Your awareness fills the body. They’re all there together. They strengthen one another this way. When they go their separate ways, then they get weak. So bring things together for the state of harmony and strength.

The principle works inside; the same principle works outside. We’ll work together as a group, and the upcoming event will be successful. If we go our separate ways, who knows what’s going to happen if we don’t have anything to support us, aside from our own opinions. So we try to work together, and that way we have strength in numbers, strength in our unity, strength in our harmony—and strength in our conviction that doing good, whether it’s with the group or on your own, really will lead to good results.

If you don’t believe in the fact that your actions make a difference, it’s hard to do things that are skillful, because it takes energy. Sometimes there’s a fight inside. We talk about letting go, letting go. But to let go, sometimes you have to pry your fingers off, and they’re holding on really tight. So it’s not just a matter of relaxing, because sometimes you relax, and you can tense up immediately afterwards. If you really want to let go of something, you have to understand why you’re letting go. Sometimes it’s a struggle, because there are parts of the mind that want to hold on. They’ve got their reasons. So you’ve got to learn how to counteract their reasons. It’s a struggle.

But if you have conviction, you realize it’s a struggle that’s worth entering into and coming out winning. As the Buddha said, you want to learn how to delight in developing and delight in abandoning. In other words, delight in the struggle. See it as something that you’re up for. You’re up for the challenge. Because what is it? It’s a challenge in how honorable you can be, how virtuous you can be, how many good qualities you can develop in your mind.

The parts of the mind that are doubtful, the ones that are dismissive: You don’t want to listen to them. After all, where do they take you? They don’t take you anywhere good. Listen to the voices in the mind that say, “Okay, there’s going to be a struggle, but it’s worth it. And you can find the strength you need inside.” This is why we circle around this state of stillness with the breath, with the body and the mind all together right here. As long as you stay centered here, then you’re coming from a position of strength.

If you lose your center, you’re out wobbling on the fringes of something. And that’s not a very secure place to be. You want to be right in the center. So stay centered. Have conviction that this is a good thing to do, to develop your mind. All the goodness in the world comes from the mind. So you look after the mind, and everything else will take care of itself.