A Good Mind Must Be Put Into Action Right Away

There is a path of practice that examines the very depths of awakening, but the practice you need today begins with noticing the mind you hold right now. If you can pause for a moment and look at what mind you are holding and what you intend to do, the door of practice is already open.

If a good mind has arisen, you must not simply let it pass by. If you want to help someone, reach out a hand right away; if a feeling of gratitude rises, express it at once; if you find that you are able to forgive, do not put it off — offer the words of forgiveness. If you encounter a good teaching, you must not stop at knowing it, but put it into practice in your life.

Mind is the beginning, but there must be action for fruit to appear. Holding a good thought does not by itself change the world. It is only when you harden thought into decision, and carry decision into action, that the good seed within the mind becomes a fruit in reality.

So today, do not wait for some grand practice — instead, look at the one good mind that has arisen right now. If it is a mind of compassion, move it into a compassionate action; if it is a mind of gratitude, move it into an expression of gratitude; if it is a mind of forgiveness, move it into the practice of forgiveness. The small resolve to move a good mind into action right away can warm the day for both yourself and those around you.