Enjoy the path, remembering what life would be like if you didn’t have this path, and how lucky you are that you have this opportunity to practice it.

"So regardless of what raw material your past karma keeps popping up in the present moment, as long as you’re not in the hell of totally unpleasant sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, ideas, and as long as you’re not in the heaven of totally pleasant sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas, you’re in a good position to practice.

And don’t think of how long you’ve been on the path or of how long you’re going to have to be on the path. It’s a good thing to be on the path. Some people get discouraged, thinking about how far away the goal is at the end of the path. But the way to deal with that is not to stop having goals. It requires learning to have a more mature attitude about being on the path: learning how to enjoy the path, remembering what life would be like if you didn’t have this path — and how lucky you are that you have this opportunity to practice it.

So keep the goal in mind. After all, if we didn’t have a purpose in being here, why would we be here? There are a lot of other places we could be right now, a lot of other things we could be doing. We’re here with a purpose. If you have the right attitude toward that purpose, then it’s easy to stick with it, no matter what pops up in the present moment.

That way, the pain doesn’t derail you, the pleasure doesn’t derail you. Whatever comes up can be raw material for the path."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Count Yourself Lucky"

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