Aspiration is a vow or commitment. In the Zen tradition, practitioners recite "The Four Bodhisattva Vows":
Beings are numberless; I vow to free them all.These commitments are literally impossible to fulfill. But we'd be selling ourselves short if our aspirations were any less lofty.
Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them all.
Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them all.
The Buddha way is unsurpassable; I vow to embody it.
The trick is to keep making effort toward fulfillment without expecting to complete the job. Don't be dismayed by this "failure" – be encouraged by it. You'll always have more to do and always be spurred on by your commitment's strength. To commit to something you could actually accomplish is small potatoes for a sacred human being like yourself.
We all want, deep down, to be compassionate, giving, loving people. Wealth, fame, and skill are common enough. Much more wonderful is being someone committed to compassion, service, and love – someone with the almost magical power of spreading happiness wherever they go. You can be a light for everyone around you. Everything you do – every action, role, task – can be cover for your real aspiration: to free every being, end every delusion, learn wisdom from every moment, and spread goodness wherever you go.
It is possible to take up the task of aspiring to the impossible.
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