Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, continues her discussion of the Dhammapada.

She warns us against mistaking the false for the true, urging us to look into our hearts and follow our true natures. Spiritual texts are meaningless without direct action.

Lola discusses the seeming conflict of seeking external rewards while professing detachment from the fruit of action.

Truth simply is. It is the truth of being, which human effort must uncover. Our chief obstacle is the web of conditioning. To find truth, one must deliberately extract oneself from this accidental conditioning of our societal pressures, and even our religious background.

The price of truth is rigorous personal effort. That is our payment.

Lola presents the story of the Siddhartha Gautama as the ultimate example of dedicated effort. His grea ...