Good evening!
The Buddha told a story of a king who ordered chariot wheels well before he actually needed them and later on he made an additional order of them. The carpenter had enough time to work on the former order, but not well enough for the later order.
When both of them were tested, those well wrought rolled straight and stable for a long distance and stopped in complete standstill at their ends. But those quickly made strayed and wobbled and fell down within a short distance at their ends.
This illustrates how we must strive in our practice. As we strive taking enough time and tireless effort, the quality of our striving shows up throughout our life. That is why we need to continue our practice to make it sustained, straight, stable, and strong.
We can stop our karma by stopping our bodies and minds, but all our practice processes and qualities depend on how much time and tireless effort we put in. Remember that continuous water drippings can make hole in stone and strong water jets can cut metal.
12/23/11
