The Broom and the Dustpan

Just seeing the photo reminds me of my work in the material world – the world known as the world of becoming. We can’t skip this world despite it being an apparent delusion – even the most devoted can’t skip the apparent world. There are after all, things to take care of – to give our energy to every day. The daily tasks, however, often become the daily beasts. There are times when we resist and buck against the reins of work – thinking there is something better to do, something more important to do than what comes into our life in the moment. We have difficulty seeing we, for the most part, have invited those things to come in. We resent and worry and delay and get edgy when the things of the apparent world show up in need of care. Our welcome sign goes dark and we stall or put off what needs our attention. And worse yet, we hurry through our work with our eye on something else; the next thing that promises someplace that is better or more appealing.

Our moods and mind states are the champing and faunching at the bit in our mouth – horses, especially race horses, often get impatient and nervous or angry and frustrated at the bit in the mouth. They, like us, want to be free of the discipline and steadiness the bit and bridle offers them. Equestrians of all stripes know the horse that accepts the bit and bridle is the meek horse – the one fit for the field of unexpected challenges. It is the meek, the yielding, disciplined horse that is the beloved, because it is trained to obey.

 

 

 

The practice is to drop all the moods and mind states, whether appealing or resenting, and WELCOME what comes into our life as our life. In order to practice this welcoming mind, the mind that does not get frustrated or angry or anxious and impatient, one needs to tame the mind.

 

 

To tame the mind in concentrated devotion we need to see what shows up in our life is from the Source. It is the real disguised as the unreal. Our very body falls into this understanding. Our body, that which is apparent and temporary is the real disguised in a body called you. The Source of the body is real, the body itself is unreal but we must remember it is a disguise of the Source. In the same way, everything is a disguise of the Source; a thing is not real in the sense it is temporary and apparent, but it is a disguise of the real – for it comes, proceeds if you will, from the Source. When we know this to be true, we remind ourselves of this Truth and we give our attention to the apparent reality of the Source by giving our concentrated devotion. One way to understand this is to know that what we put our hand to is NOT in service of getting and having or polishing up something for the small self – but is a devotional act of the heart.

Concentrated devotion is to tame a horse in such a way it is meek – trained to meet the unexpected challenges in the field of being alive. As most know, training an animal or a child requires attention and diligence. Concentrated devotion, which is a spiritual practice par excellent requires we see that everything, whether it be sweeping the floor or changing a diaper is an act of giving attention and care to the real Source of our being.

All the things – babies, children, dogs, friends, furniture, clothes, food, house, family, apartments, books – all the stuff needs concentrated devotion. YES! Everything is crying out for attention. In order to give concentrated attention, we need to be able to welcome all of it. Simplification in the form of minimizing our stuff and the patience to meet the things that come into our life are prerequisites to concentrated devotion.

Let me close with an example.

A woman practitioner was in her kitchen. She was caught in a state of begrudging – belittling and resenting the task of sweeping her kitchen floor. As she swept the floor, she realized how annoyed an aggrieved she felt sweeping when she suddenly remembered sweeping the floor in a monastery while on retreat. The memory stopped her to consider why was it that sweeping her kitchen floor felt like a burden while sweeping the monastery floor felt like a blessing? When she got to this point, she laughed – and realized she lacked concentrated devotion because she did not see her kitchen floor as being real, as a thing to look after with gratitude and obedience. She saw it is as a burden.

Concentrated attention is wisdom enacted in daily life with whatever shows up. We must learn this wisdom – train in it.

May this teaching encourage you to practice concentrated devotion.

 

Author: Fa Shi Lao Yue

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