#18 – Staying Consistent on the Path – About Passion to Learn and Practice

The question about staying on the Path came up in my mind quite a few times. I have been trying to find out what motivated me. Why did I start training all of a sudden? Why did I choose Martial Arts over any sports? Why have I been staying with my training for 30 years, and I still did not lose my interest? Why did I choose shakuhachi flute, one of the most difficult instruments in the World, and I have been studying it and practicing daily for over 10 years? I was talking about all the things I have been doing in my life in one of my previous episodes. People ask me, what helped me to stay consistent? I used to say, I did it because I liked it. But what made me like it? I had to study some things about motivation, about consistency, so I could at least explain it to other people. And perhaps, help somebody to make a decision. Yep, helping somebody is one of the points I will mention later today.

 

First of all, we need to remember, that we are dealing with a mindset. I've seen so many people trying to simplify their lives by dividing things into black and white. In reality, look at the Nature. How much black and white can you really see around? 

 

I can say the same about our thought process. We can define two extremes. I am talking about "I want to do" vs. "I have to do". I am not getting in a long philosophical discussions about needs, desires and suffering. No doubt, Zen monk will define totally different levels for those two extremes, comparing to myself. But like my Zen teacher said, "who is - I?"

There are plenty of wonderful recored lessons made by Zen teachers, you can find somebody competent in this area. And I am just sharing my Path. 

 

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