Is it possible to be constantly on guard against temptation?
Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
to be on guard at every moment it’s not so much to be on guard it’s more to be focused every moment, that means that if you are constantly thinking I should not do this, I should not do this, I should not do this that will drain us because negativity drains our energy but if you are focused this is what I am doing, this is how I want to do this and then that is productive say if I have to study, if I have to read, if I have to do some work, I focus on what I am doing and then as we start seeing the results of doing that then we also feel energized by that and then we can do more in that direction but if we just simply staying on guard I should not do this, I should not do this, that will drain us so what we need to have is always more of a focus, it’s like as I said in the example of the waves, one wave comes and I am on the guard against the wave or the wave is coming, I will fight against it but what, another wave is going to come the more important thing is to hold to the anchor and by using the anchor to gradually get to the coast once I get to the coast then I go beyond the waves so there are times when the waves are coming and that time we need to be especially on guard so we might always hold on to the anchor but sometimes we might just lose in the anchor and if that is the time when the wave hits us we will be swept away so our focus needs to be on holding on to the anchor and while holding on to the anchor we also need to be aware when the waves are coming but it’s easier to be focused on something, on what we need to do rather than to be guarded about what we shouldn’t do so that’s why absorption in the positive is the best protection from the negative it’s not just being on guard against the negative it’s very it’s very unhelpful to make a resolution about what we will not do if I make a resolution say I will never become angry again sometimes what happens somebody makes a resolution, I will never become angry and they start getting irritable and then somebody tells them, you are getting angry I am not getting angry they get angry even about being pointed out that you are angry so it’s much better to make a more positive resolution I did a seminar in Brisbane, Australia burn anger before anger burns you so the whole point is that rather than thinking, I will not do this make a healthier resolution, make a more positive resolution what is the positive resolution I will always respect everyone’s right to be spoken to politely we all commit mistakes when I commit a mistake I would prefer that other person speak politely to me so similarly, if I just think of the resolution this way, I will always speak politely I will respect everyone’s right to be spoken to politely and what happens even if we go off, oh that was impolite I am sorry, I will speak more politely but if I make a resolution I will never become angry for 30 days, I succeed and 31st day I fail I think I will fail, what is the use of my resolution so if you make a positive resolution even if we go off track we can come back to the positive but if our resolution is entirely centered on not doing the negative then when we fail to stop it, we feel defeated by that completely previous 30 days of self-restraint was also a waste it’s always better to have positive resolutions