Cattāri Brahmavihārā

One thing that I’m beginning to really learn through physical conditioning and martial arts training is that so much of it depends on one’s outlook and perception. If I believe I need to conserve my strength early on the day so that I’m not too tired or too weak to perform later then I end up selling myself short.

Let us pretend that I will fail or be too tired to complete a routine or rep if I train too hard on the early part of the day. So be it! In fact, pushing myself to the point of exhaustion is really the idea behind this. I’m training for when things get bad. I’m training the mind and body for when comfort is hard to come by. What better way to do it than by pushing past comfort?

So little of the training I’m doing is about the body; in fact, it is more about my learning to deal with pain and exhaustion so why would I try to set myself up for failure? I have lately been making the aspiration that I not give up on the beings on this planet until the end of the world age when all is consumed in fire. If I am serious, how much more suffering will I have to endure? Time to get clear about what I’m doing and get to it.