Cattāri Brahmavihārā

For as long as I have practiced in this life I have viewed it as an all or nothing affair. I either succeed and win liberation or I fail by falling far short. Needless to say, I fail every time I get up from the cushion or turn off the timer. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

I’m beginning to gain more faith in the idea that what I’m doing when I’m practicing is more akin to wearing ruts into the mind. I’m beginning to think of it as a way of orienting the heart towards certain ways of behaving so that there’s more of a probability that it will act in line with the Dhamma than not. It’s not black or white but maybe it is a constant admixing of white to black so that the gray is ever lighter.