"..when we have no hope, our mind quiets. As long as we have hope, our mind is trying to figure out how to fulfill those wonderful things that we want to happen to us, or trying to protect ourselves from all the terrible things that shouldn't happen. And so the mind is anything but quiet. Now, instead of forcing the mind to become quiet, what can we do? We can be conscious of what it's doing. That's what labeling our thoughts is about. Instead of being caught up in hope, we begin to see, "Oh yeah, for the twentieth time today, I'm hoping for relief." ..... When we've said that five hundred times, what happens to it? We see it for what it is - nonsense.... As we watch the mind over the years the hopes slowly wear out. And we're left with what? It may seem gruesome, I know: we're left with life as it is." ~ Charlette Joko Beck ~ "In the Agama, the Buddha taught monks that there are four kinds of horses. The first kind is most sharp-witted, startled when it sees the shadow of the whip, and understands what the rider wants. The second kind is startled when the whip touches its hair. The third kind is surprised after the whip touches its flesh. The fourth kind wakes up only after [the whip] has penetrated to the bone." At this late date, it should be clear to everyone that I am the fourth kind of horse - the ignorant, indolent horse that will only wake up when the whip has penetrated to the very bone. In fact, I could end up being a fifth kind of horse - an extremely bad horse who will never ever grasp the Dharma even if the whip should sever the bone completely..... Even so - as a pilgrim with so little promise - I offer this reinforcing blog post about hope - the trap of all traps - the wishing for things to be other than they are - the royal rode to despair... For an extremely bad horse, who has been deeply drinking from the well of hope, the spring of grasping, Joko Beck's teaching serves to drive the whip's lash deeper and deeper - bone deep - where it's needed.
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