Realizing Change

It is important to have the aspiration to maintain a healthy body and a positive mental state. Everyone has this to some degree, certainly, but just having the aspiration is not enough. We all desire not to have illness or excess, but also to have a desirable physical shape. In order to achieve these aims, or any other aspiration, another mental factor must be present—the resolve to act.

As long as we are unable to transform our mental state into a motivated decision, there will be suffering. A wish that one is unable to actualize leads to this suffering. An aspiration is like a dream. The decision to act turns the dream into a reality. Nothing is impossible if we just apply skilful methods.

It is important to first analyze the aspiration and determine if it is positive or negative in nature. Will it bring you closer to balance? If so, among the countless wishes you have, you have chosen well to act on this one.

Why is it that sometimes we are not able to make a firm decision? It is because we harbor doubt. When we doubt our aspirations we are afraid of making mistakes. We are unsure of what should be done and so do nothing at all. The greatest obstacles are fear and doubt, which keep us from making a decision. They prevent us from being able to actualize our feelings in daily reality and this is really the biggest mistake we can make. When we are determined and have the right effort, everything is possible.

 

~Tulku Lobsang