The 5th of the Buddhist "5 Contemplations" or "5 Remembrances": "My actions are my only true belongs. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand."(From Lion's Roar, Kimberly Brown)
While we are alive we stand for something. And we stand on something. But here the wisdom is deeper than the idea that we are what we stand for. That would be values or convictions. The wisdom is we stand on our actions. That comes up in our men's group where I have learned that it is how we live, not what we say or how we intend to live, that adds up to who we are. It is what we do and that can be as simple as breathing or eating or how we treat people.
So, here comes a person I don't like, coming toward me. Am I my negative thoughts about that person? No, the negative thoughts are simply thoughts. The wisdom here is, I am how I treat, or how I act toward, that person coming toward me that I don't like because actions are what count in the embodied universe. It is actions that make karma, and that change karma.
(Article changed on Oct 16, 2024 at 9:02 AM EDT)
