Carve The Legacy Of Your Heart

In 1956, a farmer in Wyoming unearthed an oil drum filled with nearly two thousand small stones, each engraved with a single Japanese character. The stones remained a mystery for 45 years, until researchers discovered they'd been carved by a Buddhist priest imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. When assembled, the stones spelled out the first six volumes of the Lotus Sutra.

This story is a beautiful metaphor for our choices. It’s easy to think that a single generous act or loving thought — like one engraved character — is meaningless. That’s because it's hard to see our lives “spelled out.” So we don’t see how an anxious thought soon becomes a habit of anxiety, and a habit becomes a way of living. As the Buddha said, our intentions are like drops of water filling up a bucket. Each drop seems insignificant, until one day you look and the bucket is full ... of something beautiful, or something foul.

In the West, we’re way too focused on feelings. Yes, emotions are important and beautiful, but too often we use them to mask our choices. We fail to show up for important things, thinking, "Well, I don't FEEL comfortable, so I won't do it." We withhold goodwill from others, thinking, "Well, I don’t FEEL loving, so why pretend?" But wishing others well is not a feeling; it’s a choice. You can make it regardless of your mood.

The Thai ajaans speak less about emotions and more about moods. Don’t be a slave to your moods! they warn. In some sense, we're all imprisoned, you know. By circumstances. By the climate of our minds. And by our failure to trust ourselves. You don't have to deny the darkness or fake positivity. But even within your confinement, you can still carve the legacy of your heart. One day it will come to light, in some form. But even before then, it will give your life meaning that your moods never can.