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Motivation

Once the right motivation is in place, everything is possible. When the motivation is not there, even simple things become hard. Motivation is not something that other people can give us, but something that we can find in ourselves through using our rational mind. In order for that to happen, four different types of insights are needed to arise for the practitioner:

1) there is something that needs to be changed

2) there is a way how that thing can be changed

3) those ways are available to the practitioner

4) the practitioner is able to use those ways

Once the right motivation is in place, it is possible to systematically learn something new and move towards the desired results.

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Learning Something New

Learning something new means to “change something” that is currently happening or not happening. For example now the practitioner’s breathing is not appropriate and is making the body weak and resulting in illness, so the practitioner wants to change this. Learning is a process of change, otherwise it is not really learning but simply temporary entertainment.

The process of systematic learning is always the same:

1) become aware of the thing that has to be changed (e.g. cancer)
2) identify carefully what is the nature of the thing to be changed
3) identify the causes that are leading to that thing
4) work on removing those causes and replacing them with other causes

It is not hard for the practitioner to arrive at the conclusion of the validity of this process and realize that there really is no other way to change undesired results (what is happening now) than change the causes (events and things) that lead to that particular result. Once the causes are removed, the result automatically dissolves.

While this is clear beyond doubt, the practitioner must prepare himself to patiently work on the causes to see the desired result. Depending on the particular problem that the practitioner is dealing with, seeing changes in the results may initially take a long time.

The ancients said “it takes a long journey to know the horse’s strength”.

In a future article I will cover in detail the latest developments in behavior change management, and will provide a framework that simplifies even seemingly impossible behavior changes into approachable gradual progression.

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On Spiritual Develpoment

Which is more important: to attain enlightenment, or to attain enlightenment before you attain enlightenment; to make a million dollars, or to enjoy your life in your effort, little by little, even though it is impossible to make that million; to be successful, or to find some meaning in your effort to be successful? If you do not know the answer, you will not even be able to practice zazen; if you do know, you will have found the true treasure of life.

– Shunryu Suzuki (from Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind)