I’m the master of my fate

[DS Star]

http://youtu.be/lmPMFJJ7AwY
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'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley (1888).

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

Victorian poet William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903).

"Henley had come close to death as a young man confined to hospital for 18 months with a type of TB that resulted in one of his legs being amputated below the knee. Henley an outspoken atheist always believed it was his strength of will and not any mythical God that had seen him through this very dark episode in his life, plus the brilliance of his doctor Joseph Lister the great physician and pioneer of antiseptic surgery who treated him. So this great poem is all about mind over matter, the belief of the human spirit, in a nutshell stoicism..."


A poem by an atheist but its essence is very much similar to Buddha's teachings...

Though Buddhists talk about The Law of Karma, but Buddhists believe we can still change our karma by actions and mind transformation.

In short, as Buddhists we do believe that we are the master of our fate!

[yontenjamyang]

Yes. In the sense that only we can do the most significant something about our fate! From, determining the treatment we get to determining the happenings of our lives and ultimately to controlling our rebirth.

However, the bigger perspective is that everything is within the law of karma and beyond that the emptiness of phenomena. From this fact we can conclude from the Dharma that in order to help oneself, one need to be selfless and if we compare ourself to others, then we can easily see that others are many and we are one. So the best strategy is to help others.

So, in a zoomed in way, we ARE the master of our fate but the paradox is that it is upon the reliance of others. More accurately, it is the transformation of our mindset in relation to others that make one the master of one's fate.

[Tenzin K]

I totally agree that we are the master of our fate and the captain of our soul.
What I understand from Buddhism is we are bound by our karma. Our karma is created by our actions from endless previous lives but it doesn’t mean we just serve the effect now and future. We are able to change the result if we do something about it. That’s is why we learn the Dharma first to understand, then realize it and put it to practice and change it for better.

We are what we want to be. Nothing stops us unless we give up. Nothing is don’t know and cannot unless we give up because don’t know and stop there is an excuse for us to be lazy and not to move on.
How much we want is how much we want to work for it. It’s fair.

[diablo1974]

We made many choices in life, some might not be wholesome choices to others but lead to wholesome results which only you who hv made the choice can understand its worth. Many choices are made out of self happiness, others are for our loved ones. Most of the time, choices are made but lack of effort n perseverence makes it unsuccessful to achieve results. Choices are only the first step in success but very much an vety important step such as taking the three refuge to be a buddhist.

[bambi]

Yes I agree that I am the master of my fate. Whatever we do, where there is a cause, there is an effect. But that doesnt mean that our karma will not change as it is dependent on whether we want it to. Learn and practice the Dharma every moment and do something about it to change for the better. Always remember the kindness of our Guru and be grateful that we can still be better and the choices are solely ours.