He's talking uses the term the kingdom of joy, and he says people have a vague idea as to what this thing is, and they read books and consult gurus in an attempt to find out what they must do to gain that elusive thing called holiness, or spirituality. They pick up all sorts of methods, techniques, spiritual exercises and formulas. Then, after years of fruitless striving, they become discouraged and confused and wonder when it went wrong. Most often, people blame themselves. They think if only I'd practice those techniques more regularly, or if I had made more fervent or more generous, then I might have made it but made what they have no clear idea as to what the holiness or enlightenment that they seek is but they certainly know that their lives are still unhappy. They still become anxious, insecure and fearful, resentful and unforgiving, grasping, ambitious and manipulative of people. So once again, they throw themselves with renewed vigor into what they think they need to do to fix themselves and attain their goal. Suppose there is a way of getting rid of all of that. Suppose there is a way to stop that tremendous drain of energy, health and emotion that comes from such conflicts and confusion. Would you want that? Suppose there's a way we could truly love one another and be at peace. Be it. Love People ask me all the time, what do I need to do to change myself? If you're one of those people, I've got a big surprise for you. You don't have to do anything. Fact, the more you do, the worse it gets, all you have to do is understand the trouble with most people is that they're busy trying to fix things in themselves that they really need to understand. Really need to see, we really need to experience directly, that we need to not turn away from and bury. We need to live with without deploying our strategies, whatever it is. He says, stop fixing yourself. You're okay. Don't interfere. Don't fix anything. Simply watch, observe these things in you that you struggle to fix. Just need to be understood. If you understood them, they would change. Most people have never stopped to consider this simple fact, their efforts are going to get them nowhere. Their efforts will only make things worse. As things become worse, when you see fire used to put out fire, effort does not lead to growth. Effort, whatever the form it takes, whether it be willpower, habit, a technique or a spiritual exercise, does not lead to change. At best, effort leads to repression and a covering over the root problem. Effort may change the outward behavior, but it does not change the inner person. We can't self direct our change. I. We can't form a picture of what awakening would be like and then somehow conform to it and waken up. It's like what Roshi told me, John, you have to trust the process to give yourself to awareness. It's what the purpose of a practice, of a Zen practice, is just awareness of the breath, awareness of the question. Have to see when we close down, not to immediately run off into some sort of strategy. He says, Just think, what kind of a mentality it betrays when you ask, What must I do to get holiness? What sacrifices must I make, what discipline must I undertake, what meditation must I practice in order to get it think of a man who wants to win the love of a woman and attempts to improve his appearance, build his body, change his behavior, and practice techniques to charm her. And so it is with spirituality and holiness. It's not what you do that brings it to you. What matters is what you are And what you become.