“Tough time never last. Only tough people last wldjdfhdflsdkds.” – Demi Demi
Last time we explored the flexibility of the mind with our practice. We expanded awareness and conjured a soft, loving, warming metta; adopting the mindset of a tender, gentle Bodhisattva. This is one spiritual archetype, but we can inhabit many more and indeed by learning about different approaches/attitudes to practice we find the complexity of our potential being and become someone who can adapt to the times when different characters are needed.
Another archetype is the spiritual warrior; stoic, hardened, determined, sturdy as a rock and incorruptible. With this character in mind, I want to introduce a practice called strong determination sitting. Shinzen Young has said that this practice is the fastest way to enlightenment. (This is a much more Zen approach to meditation and may not be everyone’s cup of tea – but I encourage you to explore this.)
For motivation, watch this 5 minute video of Shinzen talking about the profundity of strong determination sitting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVUtUguRc5s