The Secret triggered new interest in Law of Attraction teachings and perspectives. “Think the right thoughts and become a star,” is the way it goes. The trouble is that this misses several important steps. Which is one reason why I turned to Buddhism – years ago – when my father explained positive thinking to me as a way to get good grades at school. Somehow I had the idea that study was important too. Silly me!
Well, silly everybody if we think we can get a Lamborghini just by wishing, wanting, praying, or chanting for it. Well, actually the truth is, we can! AND we have to pay for it, learn to drive it, take care ot it. Like you have to study to get good grades, AND having a positive attitude will help. More than help, it’s essential!
So, law of attraction, and positive thinking is “essential but not sufficient” as they say in the language of statistics. You get what you expect, AND what you expect is very much based on what you do, how you prepare,how you act.
This is actually very much aligned with Buddhist teaching. Thought leads to action. And by the way, the Buddha never said that there was anything wrong with Lamborghinis either. But he did mention that is was worth checking the consequences of your actions. He never said that there was anything wrong with desire either. But he did suggest that it was worth choosing where you put your attention, and that if you don’t desire leads to distraction, confusion, regret, and a whole series of altogether useless internal activities.
.. “would you like to test-drive it?” asked the monk, handing me the keys with a smile..
