This is from Lama Surya Das's book, "Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be." Its a good book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hero ventures forth from the world of common day into
a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there
encountered, and a decisive victory is won; the hero
comes back from this mysterious adventure with
the power to bestow on his fellow man.
Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Walking the spiritual path is inevitably a heroic journey.
Right now, I'm sure that there are aspects of your own life that are heroic. Sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning and stumbling into the shower requires a hero's spirit. Trying to live a meaningful life requires a brave heart. Whenever we try to act in ways that correspond with our deepest values and beliefs, we will, by definition, face major challenges. If we are awake and aware enough to recognize help when we see it, we will also receive aid in ways that we could not imagine. Sometimes we just need to ask for help in order to get it.
God, Nirvana, Reality, Truth-- these are all huge concepts that can't be fully understood by those of us who are merely human. It is impossible to define the mysteries of existence with two-word captions. No matter how lofty our goals, it's probably wisest for us not to get lost thinking about Reality with a capital R, or Delusion with a capital D, and instead focus on looking at the difference between what is authentic in our own lives.
We begin to penetrate the larger concepts by being intentionally mindful about how e live on the day-to-day issues of our own lives. How are we being called, and what are we heeding our deeper calls? In what way are we being deceptive or truthful?
How are we being brave or cowardly? As seekers, we are climbing huge mountains, but we are climbing them step by step. This is how we explore our own relationship to the heroic, one step at a time. And each time we fall flat on our face, we manage to get up one more time. All we have to do is keep on keeping on. This is the pilgrim's motto.
Taking risks in life is necessary if we want to change and grow. Most of the risks we are challenged to take are not physical. Often what we are risking are our feelings and emotions. It's necessary that we'll have to face some unexpected losses and disappointments along the way. My high school sports coach used to tell us: "No pain, no gain." This holds true in so many aspects of life. Its spiritually heroic to face your fears and losses in constructive ways.
Doing "the right thing," the compassionate thing, the caring thing, the truthful thing, and the truth-in-love thing requires heroism. Look into your own life, and you will realize that you are presented with numerous opportunities to be both heroic and compassionate on a small scale. Everyday challenges may seem meaningless in the larger scheme of things, but they are ways of preparing ourselves for all the stuff that life throws at us. We need to do small things with great love, as Mother Theresa said.
When we face problems, it's heroic to pull on our boots, plunge in, and do what has to be done. I always remember a story about Penor Rinpoche, head lama of the large Palyul Monastery of eight hundred monks in the Tibetan refugee camp at Byalakuppe, in southern India. When the monastery's septic system became clogged and overflowed, none of the monastery's inhabitants were strong willed or skillful enough to tackle the job. So the learned and spiritually accomplished head lama himself climbed down into the fetid cesspool with plumbing tools and reopened the pipes. People in the Tibetan refugee community still talk about that audacious act with awe.
Some people have incredible professions in which they get to help people in heroic fashion almost every day of the year. Firemen are the obvious examples. As a college student I remember watching two firemen plunge into a burning house in Buffalo, New York, to find the family dog, who could be heard barking inside, after reassuring the screaming occupants who had just escaped. It was a heartbreaking, terrifying scenario, which they all miraculously emerged unscathed. Nobody has ever experienced a house fire, no matter how small, without being aware of the remarkable efforts of firefighters, who seem almost always to be the kind and compassionate as well as fearless and strong. This is as true of volunteer fire departments out in the boonies as it is in large metropolitan area like New York City, whose fireman we all come to hold in our hearts.
