Those who have no mental vigilance,
Though they may hear the teachings, ponder them or meditate,
With minds like water seeping from a leaking jug,
Their learning will not settle in their memories.Shantideva
Learning is consolidated and embodied through meaningful action. If you don’t tame the mind and point it toward worthwhile goals at best you will churn in place or get off course. However, you will almost certainly suffer more and increase the probability of getting caught in the net of your own delusions about life and reality. A disciplined mind is like a compass that points to true north. Since you can’t escape your own thinking, why not dedicate yourself to a worthy purpose and commit yourself to staying aware of it during your waking moments? When you are witnessing the mind rather than identifying with it, you have a choices. When you are acting out of your conditioning without awareness, you lose your freedom. Don’t let you mind put you on autopilot… associate coming back to awareness of mind with something you do regularly like washing your hands, picking up a phone, hearing a certain sound or turning on a light switch. In this way, you take your practice off the mat and into your daily life.
