Cattāri Brahmavihārā

As opened my phone to begin to write I quickly realized that I didn’t have anything prepared and, what’s more, there was a sense of futility which threaten to swamp the endeavor before it had begun. Because I try to write exclusively on the basis of whatever comes to mind and arises in my heart I decided that this was the first place I needed to check and see if this hollowness was truly a sign that it might be best to forego today’s post or if it was something else entirely. So, what did the heart feel like?

At first glance, one could say that there was nothing happening at all in the heart and that the state was more or less neutral but upon deeper investigation all of the worries and preoccupations about the day ahead began to make themselves apparent and bubble up to the surface. It is at this time that I realized and remembered that the pea-soup mental haze which descended on me is just one more trick of Mara’s designed to keep the mind deluded.

It is interesting to reflect that, were it not for this practice of writing once a day about Dhamma practice, my somnabulism could have continued indefinitely-a scary thought when one considers the fact that death can come at any time.

May we rouse the energy and determination to be mindful and alert. May we not succumb to laziness and complacency but strive ardently until we reach the safety of Nibbana!