While I have no urge or desire to die right now, I do feel the necessity to prepare for death. I could die any moment – because of an accident, an aneurism, a crime – life is so fragile. Life is fragile and precious. If we really contemplate this, our heart opens up to all beings and we become gentle and soft. We wouldn't want to hurt anyone or anything.
I guess it would be easy to understand "training wholeheartedly" to mean to train with great effort, the way we think of a work-out at the gym. Afterwards we're all sweaty and exhausted. But there is no effort involved. Contraction is work, opening up and letting go is release. To "train wholeheartedly" means to go to our heart and allow the compassion and tenderness that reside there to flow freely. That's what life is all about. That is the most important thing. Everything else follows from that, and that is the way I want to live.
While I have no urge or desire to die right now, I do feel the necessity to prepare for death. I could die any moment – because of an accident, an aneurism, a crime – life is so fragile. Life is fragile and precious. If we really contemplate this, our heart opens up to all beings and we become gentle and soft. We wouldn't want to hurt anyone or anything.
I guess it would be easy to understand "training wholeheartedly" to mean to train with great effort, the way we think of a work-out at the gym. Afterwards we're all sweaty and exhausted. But there is no effort involved. Contraction is work, opening up and letting go is release. To "train wholeheartedly" means to go to our heart and allow the compassion and tenderness that reside there to flow freely. That's what life is all about. That is the most important thing. Everything else follows from that, and that is the way I want to live.