One who chooses this path enters into the greatest challenge of their life. Few have the true courage to walk it. It is demanding and will ask of you that you choose your actions, feelings, views of experience, and thoughts in ways that seem to separate you from the ordinary perspectives of those around you. This does not mean that you are to become a hermit, but rather, that you more adequately learn how to respond and present into opportunities without reacting as those around you. You will no longer have the luxury of indulging yourself in the emotional reactivity and behavioral choices of friends, family members and others that surround you.

Ask yourself, “ Does this path have a heart?” After challenging your definition and attachment to what this means to you, after removing any identification of what you need heart to be for you; and, if in deciding you find the path does indeed present from within its own heart, then you may decide that it is appropriate for you. If it has no heart, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere as there is no where to aspire to as a final destination! However, one has heart, the other does not. One makes for a joyfully productive journey and as long as you are impeccable to following it, you are one with it. The other may cause you to regret your life. One will strengthen you; the other will deplete you.

A warrior must always remain fluid. Should we become rigid in our attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, and thought processes, we will function only from habit and the consequence will be to become stuck. We will fall prey to believing that what we know now is the only right knowledge and fall prey to our own sense of self-importance. To remain here means that learning is finished because our belief in having found the correct way will not allow a continuation of the quest for further improvement. To keep the sense of mystery alive means that we will never shut the door to learning more.

To become a warrior does not mean that we look for opportunities to engage in battle! It simply means that we practice a focus of discipline through which we learn how to appropriately respond to whatever shows up in our lives. We seek to earn a self-mastery that is beyond what most individuals would care to manage.

Warriors are not oriented to conflict, but rather, to struggle. We will face many struggles as we seek to live impeccably, most within ourselves. These struggles present on the path of growth – struggles against self-importance, habit patterns of choice, apathy, fear, regret, a sense of inadequacy, etc. Our soul is the battleground. We must be ever vigilant and prepared to the best of our ability for survival will always be at stake. Not so much regarding our physicality, but definitely regarding the quality of our life.

There may be times when a warrior is called to fight. However, remember that most wars are based on self-importance and identification, and to one who is impeccable these seem contrary to being and our inner struggle to transform these things. Dennis Leri, a long time student of Kung Fu has mentioned that the Chinese have a term Chih Ke which means “if you are forced into a conflict, to fight is wrong and to not fight is wrong, i.e., one must not do anything more or less then is necessary to resolve the hostilities.”

Warriors are very aware of their mortality. We learn to use death as an advisor. We are not frozen by a fear of death. According to Trungpa, “ You cannot avoid death. But, if you have lived with a sense of reality and with gratitude toward life, then you leave the dignity of your life behind you.” We do not become preoccupied with death, we simply regard it with detachment and use our knowledge of it to our advantage. When we live each choice as though it were our last we bring all of ourselves to bear into the consequent action. Trunpa defined cowardice as, “ trying to live our lives as if death were unknown.” When aware of our potential mortality we no longer waste time and energy. When we know that we will die eventually, anyway, we are free and no longer have anything to fear. We relate to death very differently from how others may relate to it. They try to put it out of their minds, ignoring it, and…unprepared at the end, are terrified and unable to release themselves – the true life essence of their being – into the next phase of emergence.

Being familiar with death in ways that are not morbid adds a greater meaning and fullness to every moment of our lives. We bring ourselves more fully present to each moment. We are truly alive. Trungpa says, “ We don’t know how long we will live, so while we have our life, why not make use of it. Before we even make use of it, why don’t we appreciate it…existence is wonderful and precious.” So although we have an intimate awareness of death we are fully oriented to life. The only preparation we make for death is to live fully – to engage fully and impeccably into whatever is called for in our responses to the challenges with which we find ourselves engaged.

We live life as a challenge. Therefore, we seek to not be overwhelmed by circumstances. Challenges are neutral in that a challenge is simply a challenge! We do not label them good or bad. This enables us to manage our emotions and we are not subject to violent outbursts in response to the changes in external conditions.

Ordinary individuals impose boundaries and limitations – warriors transcend these things. We seek the unknown and set ourselves apart from the boundaries of the ordinary world. We live according to the commitments we have set for ourselves upon our path. No great discovery has ever been made by living only from within the limitations imposed by convention. We are always aware that living outside conventional boundaries, limitations and even law, requires the highest integrity and honesty. We live from a process orientation. This insures growth over stagnation.

We live strategically. Robert deRopp describing Gurdjieff wrote, “ It is the chief characteristic of an impeccable warrior that he/she lives strategically, never does things by halves, prepares meticulously in advance, and enters the battle knowing what risks are being taken.” Strategy brings commitment to action, development to being and an enhancement of awareness. We set a direction and follow it regardless of delays, distractions, apparent obstacles, and attempted diversions.

A warrior is responsible for his/her words, choices, and actions – even the most trivial. This does not refer to accepting blame and/or fault, but rather, acknowledging that we make our own choices, impose our own rules, and pursue intentional aims. In doing this, we remove ourselves from the role of victim. Those who attempt to victimize or manipulate us are dealt with as petty tyrants and serve us in further eliminating any remaining vestiges of self-importance. We must commit all of ourselves to an action or it will fail. Deliberations and calculations belong only to the time of preparation. We cannot afford to doubt and second guess ourselves once the process is in motion. When we finally move into action only awareness, responsibility and personal power can be present. With complete commitment to an action, no matter how small or large, if it is complete and there is no holding back, there will be no internal dialogue.

A warrior is fully present to each moment. This is the point of true power because we are bringing all of ourselves present to wherever we are and whatever we are involved in. Living from the past corrupts the present and living for the future is only a form of imagination. Uncontrolled imagination depletes personal power. The entire universe in contained in a single moment. Being totally present allows us to flow moment to moment bringing the full focus of our attention and power into the here and now. This allows for an intense clarity of all that each moment has to offer. As Dan Millman says, “ There are no ordinary moments!”

© IMMACULATE PERCEPTIONS - Charlene Wolfe 2003