I once received a
deep revelation from my motorcycle, while repairing it.
My motorcycle
had been running with insufficient power for a long time. Although
I performed a few rough checks, I could not find the problem. I did
not seriously deal with it until the motorcycle broke down completely.
When I finally made up my mind to remove the exhaust pipe for a detailed
check, I was shocked! The pipe was almost completely blocked by carbon
deposits that left only a tiny channel for the exhaust to pass through.
No wonder it had been running with insufficient power! At that moment,
I felt very ashamed and learned a lesson in humility.
Looking
back, it had been years since I had cleaned the carbon deposits, and
I had not expected such a serious blockage. When I first began riding
the motorcycle, I did the maintenance work on it regularly. But gradually
I began to slack off and didn't care much about it as long as the
motorcycle would still work. Even at the time of maintenance, I just
did it superficially. That was why the motorcycle finally broke down.
Our spiritual
practice is just like that. If we don't have as much sincerity as
we did when we were new initiates, we become sluggish. If we don't
habitually check our body, speech and mind, it is hard for us to receive
blessings from God, and therefore we cannot become uplifted. If we
don't have the courage to face and acknowledge our weaknesses, it
is impossible for us to find out where we are stuck. From this experience,
I have learned that when I reflect deeply inwardly, the difficult
problems emerge in a natural way, and the reason that I had not been
able to see them was that my self-examination had not been careful
and complete.
As far
as I am concerned on this matter, the serious situation of the motorcycle
shows that I have much room for inward improvement. I would not have
been like that on the outside if I had been perfect on the inside.
Therefore, it was due to my lack of introspection and humility, my
habit of doing things imperfectly, always seeking an easier way and
always being busy warning others without knowing the dangers within.
I take
this opportunity to offer this incident for reference to our fellow
initiates, and hope that on our spiritual path, we will remain cautious
at all times and purify ourselves in all aspects whenever possible.
