You don’t need to have discipline to drink water when you are thirsty. You will simply drink it. Similarly, when you are in nature, you don’t need discipline to appreciate its beauty. No discipline is required for enjoyment or quenching your thirst. The need for discipline arises when something may not be enjoyable at first, but you know it will bear fruit in the long run, and that will be enjoyable.

Discipline becomes necessary when something may not be enjoyable in the beginning, but you know it will bring long-term benefit and joy. You may not like waking up early or sitting still for meditation, but you do it because you’ve experienced, or at least sensed, that it leads to something deeper and more lasting.

When you are centered in your Self, you are already peaceful and joyful. There is no need for discipline in that state. But more often than not, the mind is filled with negative, anxious, restless thoughts that seem completely out of your control. The mind is like a dog’s tail, constantly wagging or like a monkey, jumping from one thought to the other. Discipline........

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