The Need for Discipline

This is a tough one for many people. It's easier almost to be like I am, and get so disciplined that the issue then is the discipline and not the goal of it, or to just struggle doing it at all.
So I think first it's necessary to have a purpose for doing it. I found an excellent one in the Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, composed by the monk Thogme. Our local lama passed this gem on to us.
In verse 35 it says, " Once you have become accustomed to mental afflictions (dramas, addictions, neurosis, pride, victimhood), they are hard to cure with antidotes (affirmations, meditation, mantras). Therefore, with the remedies of mindfulness and awareness, to eliminate mental afflictions the moment they arise is the practice of a bodhisattva."
So take heart! It can be done. It states in verse 29 that tranquility and wisdom meditation, the basic kind you learn in Buddhism, "completely conquers all afflictions."
It also says in verse 26, "If lack of discipline prevents you from benefiting yourself, then your wish to benefit others is just a joke. Therefore, to guard discipline with no longing for worldly existence is the practice of a bodhisattva." Let me add to that some words from Wayne Dyer, from his book The Power of Intention. According to Dyer, to activate your power of intention, the first of four steps is that of discipline. He says, "Learning a new task requires training your body to perform as your thoughts desire. So eliminating ego identification doesn't mean disconnecting from your body, but rather, training your body to activate those desires. You do that with practice, exercise, nontoxic habits, healthy foods, and so on."

So let's look at three elements of maintaining a balanced discipline in your life. The first is motivation. A Buddhist perspective is that of verse 26: benefiting others. It's fairly easy to be altruistic, but that can be a mental affliction we can add to the above list. The true aim of verse 26, as well as Dyers point, is benefiting yourself. The Buddhist view is the same of that of modern EMS services: watch your own safety first. I'm no good to anyone else if I'm no good. It's okay to want to benefit yourself, because both Dyer and Buddhism speak against the growth of ego. Ego will not consider the benefits of others outside of how they can benefit me. Discipline will help you achieve your goals!
The second is in-formation. Yes, I said information. You need both. When pursuing anything, such as those items in Dyers list, you need information first. Let's look at meditation for example. "How should I sit?" is usually a first question. Do I close my eyes? How do you not think? What about an altar? Incense? What do I wear? Which is why you gather information form either a text, or a practitioner, or preferably both. With that information, you can start the process of in-forming. That means making the data you have in your head a part of your life. The info begins to form your inside person. Info becomes experience, and then in-formation has happened.
Preservation means that we guard the discipline we have. Of course, as the fruit of the practice being aimed at takes place, the discipline is easier to maintain. The opposite is true as well, as I noted in the verse about becoming accustomed to mental afflictions. This step might mean that you need to alter what you do. It might mean you go to bed a little earlier to get up earlier to have quiet time alone when you can meditate. Or not watching TV for an hour so you can write. Or not spending the time on the computer or at the library so you can go work out. If you start with little steps, and work your way forward, it is much easier than trying to alter everything at once.

I once read that it takes about 30 days to establish a new habit. Time-wise anyways. If you discipline yourself, and do it diligently for 30 straight days, then a new habit is born. So every day, take a baby step to benefit yourself. Get the info you need, and make a plan. Stick to it. And 30 days later, you will be a different person. You will have no only benefited yourself, but the world of those around you.