Determination is our paramis (perfection) practice this month. It is the 8th in our series. Determination gives purpose to patience and many of the other practices, particularly those that require restraint. It is the fuel for our engines and persists in driving us forward. 

Clarity helps. What is pushing us, what is pulling us… and how can our loving awareness support us? 

It is with intention that we find our bearings. This is how we are able to navigate through variable and sometimes quite unpredictable circumstances. Determination, or resolve, is strongly tied to intention. It is where the convergence of sub-conscious needs, habits and other influences, and, conscious awareness can power us through the hardest times. 

Determination

Determination can also be correlated with diligence, care, thoroughness, and even courage. 

It takes courage to move through unfamiliar terrain. Courage, I should note, is physiologically indistinguishable from fear. Both activate the nervous system and thereby the whole body. Psychologically of course they are quite distinct. Courage comes from and reinforces our sense of our best self. Fear on the other hand, is a response to what might be a threat to that same self. 

Will this experience make me stronger, or weaker? Will I survive or won’t it? These are some of the questions contemplated by our consciousness on the brink of experience. Actually, truly, it’s the subconscious that is more likely to ask these questions, and we may be none the wiser. It is consciousness that will make the difference as to whether we continue on… determined and courageous or, wait (practice patience) for a more appropriate time.

Neuroscientists have suggested that we access consciousness only about 5% of the time. The rest of the time it’s back to what’s familiar and expected. We’re pushed and pulled by our urges and so effected by all of the forces that surround us. 

Knowing this can help us to determine both the purpose of our practices and the conditions which are most likely to support them. 

Practice

Are you more likely to practice in the morning or the afternoon, with a friend or alone, online or in person, for 5 minutes at a time or over the course of a weekend? Do you have friends, family members, and/or colleagues who are also practicing? Are there dedicated places at home or work that cue your consciousness? How can you create these conditions?

Small, simple steps will lead us quite easily towards our goals, and make for a really enjoyable journey. If it is a more mindful life that you seek, one where you aren’t constantly thinking “Where does all the time go?” these paramis practices will support you. They are not only “perfection” practices but also known to cleanse the mind and heart of the clutter that obscures our light. 

Spend a few minutes contemplating what you are determined to… (be, do, express, share) and enjoy the power that comes with awareness. You may remind yourself then, in the words of Ram Dass, “I am loving awareness.” Your awareness will contribute greatly to the forces that determine your course.

Paramis

Paramis (perfection) practices like determination, truthfulness, patience, energy and the others: generosity, virtue, renunciation, wisdom, kindness, and equanimity are our earthly guide. They anticipate and help us to navigate the inevitable obstacles that arise in our human experience. Our distractions, relationships, and expectations are all part of the practice. It is when we arrive at these checkpoints that the need to clarify, again, our intention arises. Each time we do, it becomes more clear.

Motivation peaks in the midst of practice. Get there and see for yourself! All beings benefit… 🙏🏾