Mind studies was a lay self-improvement movement influenced by Zen. One day a follower of Mind studies came to Zen master Shosan to ask about the essentials of Buddhism.
The Zen master said, “Buddhism is not a matter of using your discursive intellect to govern your body. It is a matter of using the moment of the immediate present purely, not wasting it, without thinking about past or future. This is why the ancients exhorted people first of all to be careful of time: this means guarding the mind strictly, sweeping away all things, whether good or bad, and detaching from the ego.”
“Furthermore,” Zen master continued, “for the reformation of mind it is good to observe the principle of cause and effect. For example, even if others hate us, we should not resent them; we should criticize ourselves, thinking why people should hate us for no reason, assuming that there must be a causal factor in us, and even that there must be other as yet unknown casual factors in us.
Maintaining that all things are effects of causes, we should not make judgments based on subjective ideas. On the whole, things do not happen in accord with subjective ideas; they happen in accord with the laws of Nature. If you maintain awareness of this, your mind will become very clear.”
Take Charge
We all are in blame game. Instead of living our life and taking the responsibility of ourselves and our circumstances. We want to throw our responsibility on others. If we don’t find person on whom we can throw our responsibility we will throw on our star and horoscope. Because of our fate and our destiny we are suffering. Giving ourselves consolation that I might have done something wrong in our past life. So many reasons we keep ready for not becoming aware and taking our responsibility.
We want to say that everything is fine with us but something is wrong with others or the stars.
Zen master understood why the question is coming. So he said that even if someone hates you don’t resent them. He says question yourself why others are behaving with you in this manner.
If we have courage to ask ourselves that it has nothing to do with others but I was unconscious towards myself and I am responsible for hate for me, from others – this much awareness will change your pain and suffering into calmness. It will open the door towards yourself. You will be in gratitude towards others that they created a situation by which you can become aware towards yourself.
Zen master simply says – maintain awareness – only means take charge of yourself. Come out of all the blame game. Which is causing all the misery in your life.
It’s not the shit we face that defines us, it’s how we deal with it.
Look into your life whenever you have blamed others how much suffering and pain you had and if you become aware towards yourself at that time how much happiness you have experienced.
Now you have to decide you want to be happy or miserable. It is your choice. I know most of you want to be happy then take charge of your life. Live your life without any comparison. And see what will be the outcome.
You just can’t let life happen to you, you have to make life happen.
Take charge of your life! The tides do not command the ship. The sailor does.
Learning from the story I Am Creator: Take Charge
Experience Learning
To take control of your life, or exercise personal leadership, is to take responsibility for yourself and for every area of your life.
It means being connected with your values and vision and setting meaningful goals for yourself. When you take control, you become more productive and more optimistic. You are able to tackle and solve problems more easily, and ultimately experience less stress in your life.
No doubt, with all the chaos and uncertainty going on in the world these days it may be difficult to feel like you are in charge of your life, and while there are some things you have no control over, there are plenty you do.
Understand that you are the principal architect and creator of your life and where you are now is a result of the choices and decisions you have made thus far.
An interesting concept that is one whereby you see yourself as the CEO of your own life. If you were to apply this concept to yourself, how would you run your life? What type of strategic planning would you engage in and how would you envision your future? I expect seeing yourself as the CEO of your life would inspire you to think more productively, efficiently and in a more results oriented way.
Determine your values and what’s important to you. Knowing what you value gives you structure and purpose which, in turn, directs you on how to focus your time and efforts. It would be similar to a company’s ‘mission statement’. As you probably know, a mission statement typically defines the overall goals and drives the actions of an organization. It likewise provides a roadmap and guides the decision-making processes for management.
Your life your mission statement could be something like: “My purpose is to live life to the fullest by taking the care of my, relationships, finances and overall happiness to the best of my abilities.”
When you state your objective so succinctly, you can’t help but focus on taking the right actions for where you want to be. Doing so, also helps keep you from being aimless and scattered, and avoids getting into hit and miss situations.
The quality or character trait that separates those who succeed from those who do not, is a positive attitude and an unshakable belief in themselves. They do not let negative thoughts or obstacles get in the way of ultimate achievement. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s easy; it means that persistence and focus are necessary. Those who cannot maintain control of their lives, often give up at first sign of trouble or difficulty. When that happens, all else seems to unravel as well, and they mistakenly feel they have no control of anything at all. This type of mindset is both counterproductive and detrimental to progress. Maintaining a positive attitude is absolutely essential for taking control of your life.
Tags: Being Assertive Believe In Yourself Dire Circumstances Relinquish Control Take Charge Your Potential
