Stop Feeding the Beast – A Lesson on Forbearance
Forbearance
I’m going to give you a hint that you may not like to hear. During your training, as you cultivate your physical body, you’re going to simultaneously increase your power and self awareness. In addition, this body will swell up with energy and drive, along with desires. The desires will seemingly come out of nowhere and you’ll want to satiate them. But I assure you that if you do satiate these desires that your improvement will be drastically hindered.
To ultimately ascend to your highest level, you must let go of these desires.
The truth of the matter is that these desires are not you. They may have been created by you at some point, or handed down to you by your ancestors, but they are not the true, original you.
Think about it: Where do your desires come from? One moment you are living life as you normally do, when all of a sudden this desire springs forth like an itch that you want to scratch. If you scratch the itch it will go away, you’ll feel relief, and come back to normalcy, but you’re not guaranteed that you won’t have another.
It is like a dog that comes to your house barking and clawing at the door for food. That dog puts up quite a racket, and it wants you to feed it. It knows you very well, and will use whatever means it has at its disposal to get you to open the door and feed it. But I’m telling you, and you know from personal experience, that when you feed that dog you may feel better in the short term, but not the long. After a certain amount of time that dog will come back and bark for more food. What will you do? Will you feed it again, and continuously do so for the rest of your life?
The more you feed the dog the bigger it gets and the more food it needs next time to be full. This food is meant for you, not the dog, and it’s a drain on your physical and mental well being.
The only solution is to starve the dog.
No matter how much it barks, claws, or cries, you cannot feed it. The dog will become angry, and you’ll have to endure the pain of its yelps, but all the while the dog will become weaker and smaller. As it fears for its life it will come up with crafty and subtle ways to trick you into opening the door. You have to resist.
If you can do so completely, then the dog will vanish and you will be liberated.
The reality is that this beast is not your responsibility, and it never was. You did not come here to feed it and make it happy. It came to you to make its self happy. You came here to return to your original, true self, and attain complete liberation. Where you’re going you cannot take that beast with you. It’s only a matter of when, not if, so you might as well forbear and speed up the process. Just like putting down a large weight that you’ve been carrying for too long, you’ll feel relief in the lightness of your mind and body.
So stop feeding the beast. Stop scratching that itch. Forbear!
7 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Sponsors
Very nicely written.
Comment by Joe — June 23, 2010 @ 4:53 am
Thanks, Joe!
Comment by derekpadula — June 23, 2010 @ 5:34 pm
Wonderful
Comment by Emmanuel Ra bey — October 20, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
If I could afford to feed the dog I would do so consistently, as a part of compassion and valuing life. If I couldn't afford it, I would dismiss it just as simply.
But this article is awesome and forbearance as a principle is a sign of true character
Comment by cob — July 28, 2011 @ 2:49 pm
Thanks, Cob. I’m glad that you were able to appreciate the article.
You have an interesting take on it, because what you refer to is not specifically what I had in mind when I wrote it. I think you took the analogy more literally, as an actual dog. Which is very fascinating as well! Thank you!
From my perspective it’s more about staying disciplined, focused, and in control. The idea is that we have to forbear in order to resist temptations, remain in control, and ultimately pay back all of our debts. Can we remain undisturbed amidst all the various distractions? Can we stay focused and upright while in pain?
Also, through Forbearance we can achieve Honesty and genuine Compassion.
Comment by derekpadula — July 28, 2011 @ 3:06 pm
Actually, just as Cob; I also took this literally, and I would feel sad for a poor hungry dog, and would like to feed it. Of course, if it is possible for me. And also from this I understood that I was bothering you too much, and I shouldn't bother you, as you have your issues and I have mine.
And not only applying this to a dog, but also a cat, a fish, a bird, a plant a man or whatever needs or asks for my help. Am I doing the right thing by helping them?
Anyway, bye for now and take care.
Comment by Edgar — August 27, 2011 @ 12:51 pm
I think whether or not something is good or bad depends on the individual situation and context.
The lesson of the Good Samaritan from the Bible teaches that to help someone who is suffering is a compassionate act, and therefore a good deed. Buddhism also starts from compassion, however, it might say that the person is suffering because of karmic misdeeds, and that if you helped him, it would actually be a bad deed, since it stopped him from paying back the debt.
But ultimately, I think it comes down to who you are and the situation and context of where you are. If you don\’t help a person in their time of need, or if you don\’t put out a fire when something is burning, or save a person when they are drowning, then I think that is a reflection of your character. You either have poor character, or your realm of thinking is very, very long term, and different than that of a human being.
In regard to this particular article, my intent was to reveal more of the internal battles that we have to fight with ourselves. To improve our character inside our own minds and overcome our \’hungry dogs.\’ Interesting discussion, nevertheless.
Comment by derekpadula — August 27, 2011 @ 2:18 pm