Self Justification

Andrew’s been baking pizza. In his recent post, Doubts About Pizza he ponders on lifestyle and the big question – action. And the subject of being spiritually adult.

…in our practice there is no possibility of justifying what we do. We can construct a rationalisation to justify a lifestyle if we want – but it doesn’t help. Sooner or later we have to let go of this deep need for self-justification, and for the seeking of approval of those close to us, and just do what seems good to do there and then – with no guarantees that it will still be the good thing to do next week, or even tomorrow.

I’ve been pondering on the matter of confidence, which is not a million miles away from Andrew’s ponderings on pizza. Here is a quote on confidence, which I find rather clear on the subject.

It’s very interesting, that the more confident you feel, the less you notice it. Then when something happens that causes you to doubt, you start thinking; what’s wrong? Suddenly you need to know lots of things – you try to look for something to grab on to. But when you feel confident you don’t need to think very much, actually. You just sail through the situation; something’s happening through you, and you’re just there for the ride as it were, sailing on something.
Lama Shenpen Hookham

For me this is a description of how deep faith, the something, is expressed in daily living. One does, of course, have to be present!

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One thought on “Self Justification”

  1. Andrew’s comment has been resonating in my thoughts for the past couple of days, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing it. The need for approval in our own and others’ eyes is persistent, isn’t it?

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