THICK FACE, BLACK HEART
Trial and Error To discover the right action at any given moment in your life is not an easy task. Even the best of people do not always know their Dharma in accordance with destiny. Often we discover our Dharma through trial and error. St. Francis of Assisi, in his younger years, had a strong desire to be a martyr so he traveled to Morocco, a Moslem nation that strongly opposed Christianity and one which killed many of its followers. Convinced he would be killed, St. Francis instructed his followers to continue his teaching and live austere lives. After he undertook the long and difficult journey, he could not even get himself arrested. Although disappointed, he was wise enough to realize that a silent power was calling him to a different path. Obviously, the Dharma of St. Francis was not to get himself needlessly killed, rather to fulfill his destiny as a great teacher and spiritual aspirant. As we pursue a better understanding of our Dharma through trial and error, we begin to fine tune ourselves to recognize the silent voice of the universal will.
Conclusion Dharma is the natural law which guides the rightness of our actions and is the foundation of Thick Face, Black Heart. By pursuing Dharma, our life will unfold naturally and thus produce the proper fruit at each given stage of our life. By living under the grace and guidance of Dharma, life itself becomes the eternal wish-fulfilling tree.
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