Reflections on Life: Don’t Forget the Original Wish

[PureInsight.org] When I first heard, “Don’t forget the original wish,” it was from a monk in Japan. At that time, I didn’t fully understand the meaning. Later, I gradually understood that many things in this human world require perseverance. Without it, you can’t succeed. When a wish emerges, if the person only has three minutes’ of enthusiasm without perseverance, the final result will definitely be that he wastes his life and accomplishes nothing.

Once I observed some friends carefully. To my surprise, I found their lives were the results of their wishes. If a person could continuously cherish his ardent wish, his future would become what he wishes. Some people disagree with me because they have some wish when they are young but it never comes true. For example, I have a coworker who wished to be a musician when he was young, but his wish never came true. In his fifties, he was still an average worker. I asked him why he gave up his dream. He said he applied to the conservatory of music but he didn’t pass the test. Thereafter, he gave up and never dreamed of being a musician again. Obviously, he didn’t persist in his wish. He gave it up as soon as he came across setbacks. If he could continuously cherish his wish to study music after he failed the test, his life could be totally different.

Another friend of mine said with regret that when he was young he loved painting. Every weekend he went to the mountains to sketch from nature. His teacher also appreciated his paintings. Unfortunately, after he graduated, in order to make more money, he gave up his interest in painting completely. Now, he is retired and he feels very bored. One day he met a friend who he used to practice painting with when they were young. His friend had now become a famous artist and his paintings were very expensive. As an artist, he doesn’t need to retire; on the contrary, his practice, experience and effort throughout his career will help him to create better paintings when he is old. My friend sighed with emotion: “What if I hadn’t given up and had persisted…what if I were willing to make the effort and spend a couple of hours every week on painting… sigh!”

In reality, most people are just like the two people I mentioned who give up their wish too easily when they run into setbacks. It isn’t easy to continuously cherish your wish. Average people can’t persevere. Therefore, they won’t be able to turn their wish into reality. No matter how much a person regrets, their life can’t be restarted. So don’t forget your original wish. This is what I want to emphasize the most to young people.

In this human world, when many people fail to do something, they blame fate and other people that didn’t provide support. In fact, every single thought and idea of the person concerned is the most important, as the gods value people’s thoughts and the energy in the universe also helps people to achieve their wishes. If the person loses the faith, or if his actions don’t follow the principles of the universe, they can’t achieve the result of “accomplishing the goal with the will of their heart.” So no matter how one conducts oneself or cultivates, “Don’t forget the original wish,” will remind one not to drift with the current, not to give up in front of obstacles, and not to slack off in a comfortable environment, but to walk toward their life goal solidly.

Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/7/7/60405.html