"I am not a leader."

Times such as these leave us looking to leaders to guide us. We turn to someone with power or authority to tell us what we should do next. We look for others to show us which way to go. Who has the best map for dealing with this situation? Who is going to decide what the best course of action is? Who is going to figure this out and present a solution?

We may not see ourselves as that person. We don't have the position, the significance or the influence. We don't have a following to lead, or a group that is looking for us to make those decisions.

And yet...

Our actions have an effect in the world. The way we show up influences others. The way we talk to our family, coworkers and neighbors impacts the conversation. Our perceptions, judgements and ideas influence the outer course of our life.

The conduct of our body, speech and mind shapes our life, and the individual and collective are intimately intertwined to form the communities in which we live.

You may not see yourself as a leader, and yet you set the example of what you would like to see in the world. You may not be consciously setting that example and leading the course of your life with intention, but you are creating it nonetheless.

What do you want to do? Which way are you going to get there?

Our responsibility.

The Dharma is vast and profound. The impact that it can make on our mind and our heart is profound. It can literally shape our life, give it meaning and bring benefit to those around us.

But that Dharma is not best expressed in words and concepts. It is best expressed by the choices that we make and the way that we move through the world.

And that's our responsibility.

Preoccupied.

We are rational, reasonable people.  We make choices and chart a course based on the best information available.  We use critical thinking, we weigh the pros and cons, and we make a decision knowing that we are the ones responsible for our path.

We know this, but what really motivates our decisions?

Often we have goals for the future.  We have bigger plans for ourselves and try to make sure that we can enjoy our future.  We think that the underlying motivation for our decisions is based on our future goals, but what if it was actually from our present fear?

What if our decisions are influenced by a fear lurking in the shadows of our mind that we haven't even acknowledged?

What if all of our goals and plans are based on this unspoken fear?  

We live our lives charting a course, thinking that we are making our way to happiness, but what if every choice and every action is really just another maneuver to escape our fear?   If we never turn and face it, will we ever truly be free?

What does it mean to be self-reliant if our minds are always preoccupied by fear?

What informs our intentions?

What informs our intentions and aspirations?

Hope for gain, fear of loss.
Concern for praise or blame.
Striving for happiness or avoiding pain and dissatisfaction.
To be famous, or insignificant.

Those are the eight worldly concerns, which invariably inform many of our decisions and actions.  The Buddha taught that our karma is based on our choices and the actions that it produces.  We all want to be happy, to have stability and accomplish our aims, but what informs our intentions keeps us bound in the cycle of suffering and dissatisfaction.

We want to choose actions that produce happiness, but our choices are informed by the causes of suffering.

We are informed by hope and fear for the eight worldly concerns.  Our choices are conditioned by attachment and aversion, ignorance, jealousy and pride.  Biased perception clouds our vision.   

With that information, it is a miracle that we ever make a good decision.

But we do. 

One of the best choices we can make is to practice, because all that that poor information is easily removed through practice.  Clarify your practice, let your practice clarify you. 


 

I choose happiness.

I choose happiness.

But it's not that simple, is it?

Despite our best intentions, we have all these negative emotions to deal with.

Despite our best effort, we have all these bad habits that reinforce and influence our actions.

Even when we think we have all the information needed to make a good decision,
we suffer from short sighted vision and biased perception.

We really want to choose happiness, but we cannot do that until we clear our heads, learn to control our emotions and start to see more clearly.

Volition.

སེམས་པ་
Tibetan: Sempa
English: volition, to will, intention, a choice

The variety of the world arises from karma, 
Karma is volition and that which is produced through volition.
Volition is mental action,
it gives rise to two actions, bodily and vocal action. 
~Vasubandu

Our lives are created through action, both the individual and collective.  The key to understanding karma is to understand that it is a choice.  We made that decision and we are responsible for its result. Our intention gave rise to our actions and our actions determine our reality.  

Karma is simple.  It is living with the results of our choices that is not.