Eye on the Path

First, Congratulations to Obama! The change we need. I hope he does well as President and helps to turn the country in the right direction.

I'd like to suggest some good blog reading for the day, on one of my favorites, Zen Habits. Like I have said earlier, hopefully my blog will evolve into a blog similar to this one. If you scroll to the bottom of the blog you will see "popular posts by category" and beneath this you will find five lists. I have not read all of these posts but the ones that I have read have been worthwhile.

Quote of the day: "It's probably not a good idea to waste your energy fighting the external flow of events. Your resistance will likely cause more unhappiness than relinquishing control and just going along for the ride. The only thing you could lose is a bit of unnecessary pride."

Quote of the day 2: "I know some people say "Keep your eyes on the prize," but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you're going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you've got to keep your eyes focused on the path." - Russell Simmons

I just came across this quote and it resonated with me because last week at the Earth Sangha meditation group, after meditation we began a discussion focused on just that. The leader spoke of a Thai Buddhist quote which had the exact same message; say enlightenment is your goal, and that enlightenment is like the top of a mountain. Say the path, meditation, is like a road leading to the top of the mountain. You can't just stare at the mountain top, or you will run off the road! You focus on driving along the road, but can still glance up at the mountain to see that it's still there. The same with obstacles, you can't focus on them when you're driving. You are aware of them, then you avoid them, then you keep going along the path, with all of your attention.

Finally, a related quote from the Bhagavad Gita: "The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results."