“A man is hit by a poisoned arrow and his aides find a doctor to remove the arrow. But this man says, ‘You will not take out this arrow until I know if the man who had shot it was a priest, a noble or a merchant, and what bow was used.’ That person would die before all these things are ever known to him.”
In the same way, if I say I will not practice the buddha dharma until I know whether the world is eternal or not, infinite or not, I will die before these questions are ever answered.
Fortunately, the buddha dharma points to my immediate need – an end to suffering. I can choose to make the suffering cease by clearly seeing the clinging. This is my view of the circumstances. The discovery and relinquishing of this clinging in the moment is my intention.
In my speech, livelihood and actions, I choose an ethical path that encourages harmony, conserving energy for my efforts.
The buddha dharma urges the strengthening of concentration through meditation, and the development of mindfulness through contemplation of my body, my feelings, the state of my mind, and the phenomena I experience.
