The five strengths are instructions on how to live and how to die. Actually, there's no difference. The same good advice applies to both... Suzuki Roshi said, "Just be willing to die over and over again." As each breath goes out, let it be the end of that moment and the birth of something new.

The first strength is strong determination. Rather than some kind of dogged pushing through, strong determination involves connecting with joy, relaxing, and trusting. When you wake up in the morning, you can say "I wonder what's going to happen today. This may be the day that I die. This may be the day that I understand what the teachings are all about." The Native Americans, before they went into battle, would say, "Today is a good day to die." You could also say, "Today is a good day to live."

The next strength is familiarization. What familiarization means is that the dharma no longer feels like a foreign entity, your first thought becomes dharmic. We talk about enlightenment as if it's a big accomplishment. Basically, it has to do with relaxing and finding out what you already have. Familiarization means you don't have to search any further, and you know it.

The third strength is called the seed of virtue. In effect, this is Buddha nature or basic goodness. Buddha nature isn't like a heart transplant that you get from elsewhere. It's just something that can be awakened or, you might say, relaxed into. Let yourself fall apart into wakefulness. The strength comes from the fact that the seed is already there; with warmth and moisture it sprouts and becomes visible above the ground.

The practice is about softening or relaxing, but it's also about seeing clearly. None of that implies searching. Searching for happiness prevents us from ever finding it.

The fourth strength is called reproach. This one requires talking to yourself: "Ego, you've done nothing but cause me problems for ages. Give me a break. I'm not buying it anymore." This approach can be slightly problematic because we usually don't distinguish between who we think we are and our ego. To the degree that you actually are hard on yourself, then this dialogue could just increase your self-criticism.

Reproach can be very powerful. You teach yourself the dharma in your own words. You can teach yourself... ANYTHING that has to do with the moment when you're just about to create samsara as if you personally had invented it. Look ahead to the rest of your life and ask yourself what you want it to add up to.

The last strength, aspiration, is also a powerful tool. The notion of aspiration is simply that you voice your wishes for enlightenment. Aspiration is much like prayer, except that nobody hears you. Aspiration, yet again, is to talk to yourself, to be an eccentric Bodhisattva. It is a way to empower yourself. In fact, all five of these strengths are ways to empower yourself. Buddhism itself is all about empowering yourself, not about getting what you want.

From START WHERE YOU ARE by Pema Chdrn, 1994.
Published by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston.