"...until we reach enlightenment there will inevitably be doubts, because doubt is a fundamental activity of the unenlightened mind, and the only way to deal with doubts is neither to suppress nor indulge them."
- Soygal Rinpoche
Doubt shares her gnarled roots within Fear. In fact, Doubt and Fear are symbiotic sisters; indulge in one, and the other is nourished.
Doubt leads to her very seductive cousin; Hesitation. We all know about the value of Hesitation along any sport performance or spiritual Path..."He who hesitates is," what?
Lost. That's right.
If you, like myself, were spiritually weaned in the extreme outdoor sports, then you know by Direct (and harsh) Experience, just how dangerous Hesitation and Doubt can be.
i recall very vividly, still to this day, perching myself upon absolutely humongous Nordic Jumping Skis (the brand name of the Scandanavian skis was - and i am not making this up - 'Kongsberg'). i would sit in the Start Bench, waiting for the Jump to be cleared from the last ski jumper before pushing off the bench, down in a tuck (the mountain yogi's version of 'chair pose' or utkatasana), soar toward the lip of the jump, and
DO NOT MISS THIS POWERFUL TEACHING FROM COACH, a former member of the United States Nordic Combined National Team!
photo info:
1) Avery Ardovino jumped 113.5 meters on her first jump to lead the women's field at the 2007 U.S. Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Championships.
Photo by John F. Russell
photos online at:
http://www.steamboatpilot.com
