Bad habits, like weeds, should be... (Click image for video)

I alone am responsible for my life.

There's no one to blame.

The good news? I have the power to change it. 

Countless imprints from our karmas—thoughts, words, and actions—over countless lifetimes have gone into the mix of impressions in our store consciousness. Impelled forward by them, our current life is therefore solely our creation. When certain people impact our life, it is because we had planted the cause for them to do so. So our interactions with them are likewise due to our past karmas.

We alone are responsible for our life.

So, sorry, there’s no one else to blame. What we are experiencing is because of what we had done in this life. And in all our lives before. The future holds the potential to be much better. Incredibly better. Since we alone are responsible for our lives, it’s entirely up to us what our future will hold. If we decide that we want birth in the Western Pure Land then we need to make it happen—with belief, vow, and practice.

Fully confident we will attain what we seek, let’s get to work. 

If you wouldn’t want others to hear . . . (Click image for video)

Do not wonder if others are doing their best.

Just make sure that you are. 

One of the first things we do upon arising from sleep is to look in a mirror. Even if we don’t leave our home, we tend to tidy ourselves up. During the day, chancing upon a mirror, we run a quick check of our appearance. Before retiring, we look in the mirror to wash our face, brush our teeth, etc. So we look in the mirror every day.

But what do we see?

Another wrinkle, a nice smile, our mother’s eyes.

We see what’s on the outside. But when we look at others during the day, it’s a different matter altogether. After noting their physical appearances, we tend to zero in on their mistakes. Like eagles zeroing in on their hapless prey. The eagles need to eat; our examining of others is pointless.

Let’s imagine another kind of mirror: a cultivation mirror. By holding it up to look directly into it, we block our view of what others are doing. And with that crystal-like clarity, we now see what we are doing. Are we happy with what we see? Or grimacing at our irresponsible ways.