Wednesday, August 31, 2005

The problem with goals

Here is a little story as told by Anthony de Mello in One Minute Wisdom:

The Master said, "It is, alas, easier to travel than to stop."

The disciples demanded to know why.

"Because as long as you travel to a goal, you can hold on to a dream. When you stop, you face reality."

"How shall we ever change if we have no goals or dreams?" asked the mystified disciples.

"Change that is real is change that is not willed. Face reality and unwilled change will happen."

The master is talking about the mind poison of delusion, isn't he? That is what we need to stop. Remember that meditation - mindfulness - is knowing what's happening while it's happening no matter what it is. Delusion makes this impossible. What we need to stop is our compulsion to feed delusion. Let go of the need to live in a fantasy. Just stop.

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