The Battle That Goes On Inside Every Human Being

A Native American story that captures perfectly the kind of moral, effort-related choice that each of us faces on a daily basis.

A Cherokee elder was instructing his grandson about a battle that goes on inside every human being. He said to the young man, "The battle is between two wolves. One wolf is slothful, cowardly, vain, arrogant, and full of self-pity, sorrow, regret, envy, and anger. The other wolf is diligent, courageous, humble, benevolent, and full of compassion, joy, empathy, and faith." Then there was silence.

The grandson thought about the two wolves for a moment and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The Cherokee elder replied, "The one you feed."

Whether you feed your good wolf, your source of diligence and courage, or your bad wolf, your source of sloth and fear, is a true test of your sincerity about becoming a Bodhisattva. In the spirit of this kind of testing, do some serious self-assessment right now, even though it may require more time, energy, and thought than you prefer to expend. Have courage, and consider this activity a step forward in your effort to be heroic!