Los Principios

The body of learning is a path in the forest. It carries from where you are to where you will be. Or, in terms of understanding, it takes you from what you are to what you will become.

We create the path in our minds by walking it. The footsteps of our practice gradually push back the underbrush and press down the grasses, so that the way is clear. It is easy to go back and forth along that path, once you have smoothed the way. When we can see our feet on the earth, we can see stones and roots that in the past might catch at us, so with practice it is much easier to walk.

We create the path in our minds one step at a time. We want to walk in the right direction, so it is skillful practice to give extra attention at the start of the trail. If we take care at the beginning, and we are careful in the middle, we are rewarded with care at the end. It is a happy way to go and to grow.

It is the same with learning anything. If we want to learn a song, we start with the first words, the first stanza. The seed contained in those lines opens so that the flower of the song can take root. A well-crafted song will lay a trail of rhyme and rhythm that the mind can remember and easily follow. When one mistakes a line, it is good practice to stop, to return to the beginning and start again. When we retrace our steps in the song, the melody and the words are clear from the beginning. Learning this way, one only needs to remember a few notes or a few words, and the whole of the song blossoms for them.

When you practice the beginnings of the Dharma in a careful way, you need only carry the smallest seed in the hand of your heart. Pause anywhere in your day and plant it - a mindful breath, a mindful step - and the sheltering tree will blossom overhead. The master investigates her forest from end to end, then returns to the beginning of the trail, to the edge of the forest, to sit warm in the sun and drink her tea.