sweet dreams

The first lines of the Dhammapada, a collection of some of the sermons of the Buddha, read, "You are what you think, having become what you thought." Simple words and within them an extraordinary insight and teaching. The recent film and book "The Secret" which propounds that we attract everything that happens to us is but a modern interpretation of the Buddha's ancient teaching.

And while this may be difficult for those people who are hyper rational; to my mind, there is no doubt that the converse of the Buddha's teaching is certainly true - if you cannot imagine (think) what you want to become, it can never be attained.

With this in mind - and the words of the Dhammapada that I have come to believe and accept - I lie down to sleep each night seeing myself at the tiller of Kuan Yin on the Labrador Sea or imagine that I am laying down in my berth on the boat, riding at anchor in the shelter of a rocky island. Several times already, I am on the boat in my dreams.

Whether or not I am actually creating the reality of this voyage by first imagining it, I do not know. But I am certain that seeing it first within myself if vital to making it the external reality. This may be "nothing more" than reaffirming my focus and commitment to the project every night. This voyage to Labrador carries enormous risks to someone like me with limited sailing experience and no experience in high latitudes. It is a "reach" but one I am determined to accomplish. This must be true of all great adventures.