Cattāri Brahmavihārā

It’s been about a week since I last attempted to post primarily because my family and I were away in Cuba. In terms of vacationing, I have to admit that Cuba was tough for a family of five from the U.S. since they don’t accept credit cards from US banks not can you retrieve money using your atm card. As a result, I ended up fasting for most days which helped me to cultivate nekkhama when I was unable to spend more than fifteen minutes a day on samadhi bhavana. 

Aside from the fasting, the most poignant observation I made was simply this: regardless of the system of government there will still be suffering. Against the backdrop of the horrifyingly cruel and inept trump administration such a realization was helpful if not entirely welcome. Che and Fidel had some great ideas but ended up killing scores of political enemies and enslaving the minds of their countrymen. Alas, there is no succor to be found outside of silã, samadhi and pañña. 

Although I still feel that it is my duty to help the vulnerable and to serve other beings, it’s good to remember that I can’t perfect the world. Instead, I should aim solely at perfecting my own heart.