OUR LIFE PATH – VEN. THAY THANH

Our Life Path:

Teaching at a service in Virginia Beach, Ven. Chuc Thanh observed: “What do we think, say and do every day? What we think, say and do determine our life direction and the direction of our karma.  Like a tree falling in the direction it has grown all its life when it dies, our karma goes in the direction we have set through our thoughts, words and actions.”

Think about the metaphor Chuc Thanh is using in this teaching.  Picture a tree growing in place for many years subject to the prevailing winds and weather conditions that shape it.  The distribution of its weight and the direction the winds force it to grow ultimately determine the direction it will fall when its ability to hold itself upright ends.  Does the tree have the capability of changing the factors that determine the direction in which it will fall?  Do we have the capability of changing the karmic factors that determine the direction our lives take?

(Venerable Thich Chuc Thanh is the Dharma Master at Dong Hung Temple. This quotation is part of a continuing collection from his dharma talks given in Virginia Beach, VA and Southern Shores, NC beginning in 2015. The quotation title and commentary are by temple member Mark Palamara.)