The Fine Details of Commitment
We all come to the practice of the dharma because we want change in our life, otherwise If we were happy with how things are we wouldn’t bother, would we? Yet we so often think that these changes are some how done by acts of will and choice. What we often do not appreciate is that with change comes by giving things up and renunciation. Taking responsibility for your habits and be prepared to surrender them for the dharmic change we all so much desire. In order for this to truly take place we need to take our commitment off the cushion and into our daily life and look very closely at how so often we just don’t want to give up even the smallest of habits and things we attach to.
Comments:
Thankyou for posting Aloka. I tend to start to drift if I don’t watch at least one of these a week
This talk is a very practical reminder of the spirit of commitment, and what is required to work on my stuff on a daily basis. With this training it is all down to me, my choice as to what I do. It’s personally a challenge to take ownership, to use the gift of choice in a wise way, and take responsibility for my decisions and actions rather than blame others. Āloka advises us to learn to say “no” to engrained habits, but also recognise that we have to be willing to completely surrender and let go to find the freedom we desire. For me, this is why the practice can be found in every moment.
The,topic of this talk–the need for commitment and consistency of practice–echo the themes of the very first talk of Aloka’s I attended seven(?) years ago. What I am realising is that for me to overcome the habits of a lifetime I need regular reminders and continual reorientation.