January 13 – Incline our hearts toward freedom

Dear Friends,

In talking about right action, Gil mentions we can look at what we can refrain from doing, and we can cultivate the positive motivations.

Ideally the negative and positive sides of Right Action work together. By restraining harmful actions, we have the opportunity to consider and experience behaviors that promote well-being for ourselves and others. For example, practicing non-killing may help us cultivate a greater appreciation for life; practicing nonstealing may help us cultivate respect for others; and practicing good sexual conduct may help us cultivate trustworthiness.

In addition, it is important to appreciate the tremendous value of looking deeply into the motivations and feelings behind our actions. For practitioners on the Eightfold Path, Right Action provides an opportunity to bring greater mindfulness to the underlying causes of unskillful behavior. In this way, Right Action works together with the first two factors of the path, Right View and Right Intention. Plus,
it can be inspiring to know that practicing the Eightfold Path is a way to release ourselves from these underlying painful and potentially destructive “roots” of greed, hate, and delusion

“Right Action: The Fourth Factor in the Noble Eightfold Path”
https://audiodharma.us-east-1.linodeobjects.com/documents/176/Right_Action_Study_Guide.pdf

Larry Yang has a beautiful prayer of aspiration that combines both the positive aspirations and the restraining of harm:

May I be loving, open, and aware in this moment;
If I cannot be loving, open, and aware in this moment, may I be kind;
If I cannot be kind, may I be nonjudgmental;
If I cannot be nonjudgmental, may I not cause harm;
If I cannot not cause harm, may I cause the least harm possible.

“In the Moments of Non-Awakening” Lion’s Roar
https://www.lionsroar.com/in-the-moments-of-non-awakening/

In the article, Larry continues, “Thus, even in my imperfections, even in my failures, I can still incline my heart toward freedom. This is how I see the paths of awakening and non-awakening interweaving. This is freedom in the midst of suffering. This is resilience despite the forces of violence and oppression. We can create beautiful lives right where the world is not yet awake.”

May this too be an inspiration for our practice.

With good wishes,
Andrea