Do Not Compare Yourself with Others; Go Beyond Yesterday’s Self
We are used to competing and comparing. When we keep looking at how successful someone else is, or how far ahead they are, our own mind is easily shaken.
But the person we truly need to examine is not someone else, but ourselves. We need to see whether today’s self has changed even a little from yesterday’s self, whether we are making more effort, and whether we have the mind to overcome ourselves.
It is the same in practice. Rather than wondering what high state someone else has reached, it is important to look at whether my concentration has become a little deeper and whether my wish to keep studying has grown firmer.
When we often examine whether our diligence is progressing, we can also see what is lacking. When we know what is lacking, we can correct it, and when we correct it, we can do a little better.
Today, do not measure other people’s speed or achievements. Quietly compare yesterday’s self and today’s self. Finding one small step of progress and continuing it is the path of practice and growth.
When we compare ourselves with others, the mind is easily shaken. What matters is not how far ahead someone else is, but whether today’s self is even a little better than yesterday’s self. In meditation and diligence too, rather than wondering about another person’s state, we need to look at our own concentration, our own steadiness, and what is lacking in us. When we check ourselves in this way and correct what needs correcting, we grow little by little.
