There is an old saying that the path of hell is paved with good intentions.
Those who believe that motivation is the most important factor in making any decision, this saying will be missed. Because is not having the Right Motivation the first step towards the path of Buddha? And do not you insist again and again that each step is full of danger if it is not given with pure motivation?
But, watch out for good motivations. There are good intentions and good intentions, and things are not always what they seem.
There is nothing easier than giving up the world for incompetence in worldly affairs. There is no wisdom in disregarding riches simply because one is unable to obtain them, nor to despise the pleasures of the senses because there is no means to enjoy them. If there is a desire for such things, and if that desire is frustrated by circumstances, adding self-deception to frustration is changing a lesser hell for a greater one. There is no worse hell than the one you live without knowing.
The desire that is despised for the sole reason of not being able to satisfy it is one of the greatest enemies of man. Perhaps it can be pretended that it does not exist, that one has defeated it, but the question must be answered with sincerity: " If I could satisfy that desire, would I?" If this question has not been answered, presume to renounce the world, opt for an ascetic life not because it is desired, but out of necessity and to take pride in oneself, is to hide the face of the enemy and become doubly vulnerable.
Therefore, the first step on the Path is to know what you want, not what you should want. Only then can the pilgrim begin his fully prepared journey. Otherwise he would be like a general who, leading a campaign in an unknown territory, instead of determining his own strength and the strength and position of his enemy, cared only for what he imagines that They should be. And no matter how good I imagine, I will lead, without any doubt, the army into hell.
AUTHOR: Eva Villa, editor in the big family hermandadblanca.org
SOURCE: Become what you are by Allan Watt
