Effortless

How do we know if our work is selfless? If we need no help doing it. If it seems like the work is doing itself.

The willingness to be guided from within

When we break it down, we find that there is only one failure—the failure to trust in oneself. Ralph Waldo Emerson described self-trust as the iron string to which all else vibrates.

Supplicant sounds

In the West, we say “thank you.” In India, the expression is offensive. Buddhism enjoins us not to thank our benefactors. And “please”? The saying of it produces a weak and queasy sound.

Easy

Whatever you like to do, do more of it. Whatever you dislike doing, do less of it. (And do something else.)

Pay attention to your inclinations. Whatever you do easiest, you do best.

In the city

The answers to life’s most important questions are within us. For assistance with lesser matters—how to play the piano, for example, or car repair—we may seek assistance from our environment. The inner life is primary; the outer is secondary. Life returns us to the city of self-trust, to the temple of self-sufficiency.

“Stay in the city.” Heed not signs and wonders.