The idea and practice of purifying one’s morality has been at the fore of my awareness since listening to the Dhamma talk I mentioned a few days ago. Forgive me for being cynical but all of the talk we hear in spiritual circles about “being in the moment” or the “beauty of the moment” has always left me cold. Why? Well, because unless we know what to do with the moment there is nothing intrinsically good or special about it. But, my disdain has obviously not served me for, even though I paid lip service to understanding that we need to be constantly creating right and skillful intentions with each passing moment and be ever on guard for the unwholesome I seemed to have let whatever thoughts and intentions there were trapse on through. It seems that it was only after they destroyed the place and set the house on fire that I took notice and then tried to correct the problem.
Band-Aid Practice
For most of my life as a disciple of the Dhamma my approach to the practice has been what I would call “band-aid practice” or management by crisis. I’m not too sure what it is that I do with my mind most of the time but it really does seem that I’ve been a little too laissez-faire and use most of my formal practice to clean up the mess instead of cultivating more wholesome states. The poignant realization that the law of kamma means not only that we will inexorably experience the results of our actions but that we have free will to choose how we will act ONLY IN THIS MOMENT has opened my eyes and made me much more aware of what I am doing with the mind, speech and body at all times.
May I give up my band-aid practice and continue to cultivate my understand of the Dhamma.
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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