One day when he approached the river to drink, he saw a boat with an old man and a young boy, the old teaching the young to tune the strings of his instrument, Buddha listened "so you should not stretch too much because the strings will break, but shall also not be loose because there will be an unpleasant sound.
That comment Buda transported him to his current life and realized that he had been pulling his own rope to the fullest, while his poor body was very weak, which paradoxically was blocking his path to enlightenment. As realized his mistake, he resumed a more normal life for a monk, reached not long after his enlightenment. After that one of his most important teachings was, the middle way.
The concept of the middle way is important for all be looking forward not only in his spiritual path, but also in a general sense of progress of any project in life of being.
If the effort is insufficient, it will not reach important goals, but with the help of others and therefore has no lasting value. If the goal is spiritual steps, help from others is useless, because nobody can evolve on behalf of others, no one can vibrate for the other, and it’s of no use to push to another step that never deserved to go.
On the other hand if the person intends to withdraw from the world around him, left to care for their environment, their family, left to care for your own body, something will go wrong ... because, for some reason that person is living where he is; there will be a reason to have a family too, with its responsibilities to fulfill. Leaving everything would be possible only for a privileged few with deep pockets who could pay others to care responsibilities, and then the path to enlightenment would be restricted to the privileged, and it is not.
I disagree with those monks who devote entire days to repeat his prayers, like a machine, a tape is more effective...
I do not think either, that turned into a hermit, away from everything, depending on the support of others is a sure path to enlightenment. Surely a hermit after ten years of retirement if he is forced to return to live in a rigorous world with people really problematic around him all his days, I do not believe that this monk (hermit)will maintain a higher being balanced and long ...
So back to the middle path, the spiritual journey of every person is accompanied by live, this life in the world that we live, and therefore part of a day devoted to the obligations that each has, and then in the hours of day that each has for himself, can dedicate some of them to spiritual enrichment.
Just as an old adage, people talked balanced life was 8 hours, 8 of rest and 8 of fun.
There for me, as I said a balance, to fulfill obligations to the environment, society and family obligations to care for the body, the necessary, then care for the feelings, health of mind and of course the care of the soul and spirit.
Well anyway, anyone who forgets his all, end up sick. In this life we do not get along anything material, but we take two things, everything that we learn, and love that we collect for our good actions.
I am a firm believer that the spiritual quest, the spiritual path is associated also to cultivate the mind; because an automatic follower of dogmas, traditions and customs, an unstoppable man of prayer, a recitation of written phrases they are claiming for my move "with his rope too loose "as intended to advance through the example of others. Progress is trying to understand, not just accept what you read or heard. Progress is trying to understand, not just accept what you read or heard. Each person is whether to seek the inspiration of others, but to experience their own steps.
The spiritual path in his middle way, is effort, not too little and not too much too, not an exaggerated effort to force quit. Not be deaf to all ancient knowledge, but not buckle under the dogma imposed by others. For my spiritual path, not religion, because all religions were a path from the past that have long served to at least show the way; people today with all the access to information that is available, each everyone can learn what he need and then experience their own way, with dedication, but without excess. Individual strings are learned to tune from a little, but there are also learning to play music, a bit like every musician, with dedication and with time, you learn.
Hugs to all, Paul Barbé
