Part Five: Truth for the Family
directed to the right areas, the complete objective
-
of washing the whole shirt was not met the shirt
remains dirty. The failure to meet this objective is
like a person who is diligent but ignorant. We can
work very hard, but our blinded efforts will achieve
little, if anything. Sometimes our efforts can bring
about more problems. To reach our goal, we must be
fully aware and understand the objective AND know
how to accomplish all of the necessary tasks of that
undertaking before we start.
2. Right Effort. We must put our full effort into any
project to obtain the best outcome. Knowing the
objective of an undertaking is not enough to guarantee
the quality of that effort. If a person stops short of a
wholehearted attempt, the objective may be realized,
but the quality will probably be poor.
For example, let's take the dirty shirt scenario again:
we know that we have to pay attention to the collar
and the cuffs, and we also know that it will take about
30 scrubs to get rid of the stains. Unfortunately, if we
stop at just 10 scrubs, the stain will be lessened but
the shirt will still be dirty. This rule is applicable to
any task. Acting with the right objective, but not to
the fullest extent, will only bring a second-rate result.
The failure to exert ourselves to the highest potential
is like a smart but lazy person. We know the objective,
and we know what it takes to reach it with flying
colors. Yet halfway through, we lose motivation and
resort to shortcuts. Therefore, knowing the objective
and pursuing it to the fullest extent are the only ways
Family Day By Day 128
The Law of Kamma