When hearing of someone’s ill health, 

I need to be wary of pride 

in my good health. 

We’ve just heard that someone we know is ill. An old superstition warns us to “knock wood,” “touch iron” or something similar to avoid tempting fate and finding ourselves in like circumstances. We don’t really believe the superstition; it’s just a saying we grew up hearing. But as the saying whips through our mind, we need to watch what comes next.

Is it gratitude for our good fortune?

Recognition that our mental and physical well-being resulted from our having given fearlessness?

Are we making a note of the wisdom in deepening our practice of such giving?

Or are we, instead, commending ourselves, attributing our good health to our nutritious diet, regular exercise program, or healthy lifestyle. The moment we slip into congratulating ourselves, we heedlessly walk away from safely dwelling in gratitude and land in the enemy camp of arrogance.

Not where we want to be.

Ordinary beings view things dualistically (Click image to view video)

Every minute listening to the Dharma 

is one less minute of harmful thoughts. 

Those of us who have tried to calm our mind with chanting have very likely experienced the barrage of thoughts streaming through it. To make matters worse, most of those thoughts are neither loving nor compassionate. They do not arise from gratitude or contentment. No, they’re triggered by destructive habits like worry, anger, jealousy, fear, and frustration.

When trying to meditate, we can become aware of such harmful thoughts.

But what about when we’re doing everyday tasks?

In our routine state of mental overload coupled with being occupied physically, we fail to detect what’s happening. Little wonder, we don’t notice all the damaging seeds we keep planting in our store consciousness.

What’s a person to do?

Listen to the Dharma! Every single second that our mind is engrossed in the Dharma, untold numbers of detrimental thoughts are averted and their perilous seeds never sown.