Proper Motivation Everyday

[Vajraprotector]

Ven. Thubten Chodron also shared the same idea

From: Practicing Buddhism in Daily Life by Venerable Thubten Chodron©

In the morning, when we first wake up, before getting out of bed, before thinking about what we will eat for breakfast or which obnoxious jerk we will see at the office, we can start the day by thinking, "Today as much as possible, I won't harm anybody. Today as much as possible I am going to try be of service and benefit to others. Today I want to do all actions so that all living beings can attain the long-term happiness of enlightenment."

Setting a positive motivation the first thing in the morning is very beneficial. When we first wake up, our mind is very subtle and delicate. If we set a strong positive motivation at this time, there is a greater chance of it staying with us and influencing us throughout the day. After generating our positive motivation, we get out of bed, wash, maybe have a cup of tea, and then meditate or recite prayers. By starting the day in this way, we get in touch with ourselves and become our own friend by treasuring and re-enforcing our good qualities.

[Midakpa]

I'd like to quote from H.H. the Dalai Lama again on the subject of motivation:

"Motivation is very important, and thus my simple religion is love, respect for others, honesty: teachings that cover not only religion but also the fields of politics, economics, business, science, law, medicine - everywhere. With proper motivation these can help humanity... Without good motivation, science and technology, instead of helping, bring more fear and threaten global destruction. Compassionate thought is very important for humankind." (The Pocket Dalai Lama, 2002)

[RedLantern]

To progress in practice and help spread understanding of the Dharma for the benefit of others.
Recall the suffering nature of samsara existence.By understanding suffering and it's causes,we will have a strong desire to escape by achieving Enlightenment.
Recognise the preciousness of human rebirth.The opportunity to encounter a teacher and the Dharma.Think how fortunate we are.
Renew the awareness of impermanence.The time and place of our own death is unknown but inevitable.
Re-emphasize the understanding of the causes and effects of karma.
These reflections will stir our motivation to escape samsara and make the most of this opportunity to practice.
Then the practice we do will be for the right motivation and of so much greater benefit.

[Positive Change]

Setting the proper/good motivation each day is of utmost importance. As it will help "guide" us through the day. This motivational "thought" can be also be further enhanced in the form of meditation. For example a mediation on a certain projection on one's life.

In order to make the most out of the following analytical meditations, it is important to realise that one should not only observe the analytical mind, but also the emotions and feelings that come up.

Start with a good motivation beforehand, then take a few minutes to calm down (doing e.g. a brief breathing meditation is very good) and to dedicate the positive energy afterwards.

For this, the following traditional prayers can be used, but feel free to use any other positive and unselfish thoughts:

1. Taking Refuge
2. Setting the mind to Enlightenment
3. The Four Immeasurables
4. 7-limb Prayer

Followed by the meditation on the followin:

WHO DO I WANT TO BE?

Mentally project yourself 5 years into the future: how would I like to be, having accomplished what I want to accomplish, learned what I want to learn, did what I wanted to do.

- Which qualities have I developed in myself?
- Which are the most important lessons I have learned?
- What have I done for others that I feel most happy about?
- How did I manage to stop underestimating myself?
- How did I manage to stop underestimating other people?
- How did I manage to stop pretending that I cannot do things?
- Which kind of powers and abilities did I discover in myself?
- Which kind of powers and abilities did I find in others?
- What can I do right now in order to be this person in five years?
- If it feels right, make a commitment to yourself to make this vision reality.


MAKE UP THE ACCOUNT

Imagine to be dying at the moment, without pain and with a clear mind.

- If I die now, how is the balance of my positive & negative karma of this life?
- How many good things did I do without self-interest, altruistic, out of unconditional love, without expecting anything - not even gratitude - back?
- If this is the addition of the good things, do I even need to consider the bad things?
- Conclusion & dedication - to do something better with the rest of my life.


IF I HAD ONLY ONE MORE YEAR TO LIVE...

- Imagine lying on your deathbed, unable to move or to talk to the people around
- Observe all feelings and emotions coming up.
- The doctors have given me up, I do not have any pain, but the end may come any moment
- What did I do so far with my life?
- What help are my best friends now?
- What is the use of my savings and possessions?
- I am still much too young, still so much to do... If I only had...
- Suppose I had one more year to live, what would I do with it?
- What could I do that is reasonably possible?
- Are there any apologies to make, or do I need to tell someone the truth still?
- What would really be useful to do before I die?
- Bring yourself back to the here and now, not on my deathbed.
- But does that change anything about the fact I only have limited time to live?
- I can still die every day in traffic, eat something wrong, get ill.
- Are there any things I can do right now of the things I want to do before I die?
- Are there any things I should do within a few weeks?
- Life is much too uncertain to put things off...
- If I want to die peaceful, without regret, I have the chance right now to make my life useful.

[buddhalovely]

Motivation is without a failure the strongest thing created by the mind. Perhaps we’ve always had questions about how best to live, about the mystery of birth and death, about the way to inner peace and wisdom. Our rational mind, good for many things, is not able to answer these larger questions; and so we become seekers on a search for answers.

For others, a life-changing crisis motivates one to go on a spiritual search. A loss, transition, or illness suddenly disrupts our life and compels us to find a meaning for our suffering and a new purpose in living. But probably for the majority of us, the motivation to search spiritually sneaks up on us during the course of living our habitual, day-in, day-out life. We don’t know why, but we begin to ask questions we never bothered with before.

What is the point of living the way I do?
Why should I keep on repeating my life the way it is now?
Am I settling for a life that’s too safe?
Am I wasting my time?
Is this it?
What am I looking for?
What’s missing?
Isn’t there more?

The Dalai Lama came to this earth to show us that these questions arises only from the foolish attachments at the back of our heads, the amount of selfishness is blocking the clear view of the reason we were put on this earth to do in the first place. We are here to take away the sufferings of others and compose to towards ourselves. To prepare this place for the welcoming of Dorje Shugden.