We’ve all made mistakes in the past, but we’ve all done some good things, too. So focus on the good that you’ve done. Dedicate that to your future, dedicate that to the people you’ve harmed in the past.

"We’ve all made mistakes in the past, but we’ve all done some good things, too. Focus on the good things. Those are what give you strength to keep on doing more good things. If you focus on the bad things you’ve done, you just start spiraling down and it’s hard to pull yourself up.

So focus on the good that you’ve done. Dedicate that to your future, dedicate that to the people you’ve harmed in the past, so that you can live in this world without a sense that you’ve got a big debt. You’re working on paying off your debts, so work at it every day, every day."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Focus on the Good"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Buddha talks about dispassion, disenchantment, equanimity — and to us it sounds cold. But everything in the Buddha’s teachings is put in the service of freedom.

Ajahn Chah story: The Equanimity of a Water Buffalo

What would actually happen if I made the effort to change the sad way things are? What would be the unintended consequences?