Focusing on your thoughts, words and deeds, takes you off the hook for other things

"What is your life besides what you do, what you say and what you think? As for the things coming in from outside, that’s the result of past actions. But the actual practice, the actual environment you’re creating, if you have the right attitude toward what’s coming in, you can make a good place to practice out of anywhere.

So you focus on your thoughts, your words, your deeds. Those are the important elements in your life and those are the important elements in the practice. As for everything else, you let it pass. If there are things you can do within the boundaries of right speech and right action, you go ahead and you do them. Anything that lies outside of that, you don’t want to touch.

This focuses your responsibility where you really can make a difference, and it takes you off the hook for a lot of things you really can’t make a difference. All too often we get upset about things we can’t control, which means that we’re ignoring the things we can control.

When you focus on keeping your thoughts, words, and deeds in line with the path, your world is a better place to live. The world of the people around you is a better place for them to live as well."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Your Own Karma"

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