Toward One's Ideal, One Must Have a Devout Heart
If a person loves a cause, he must have a devout heart; only with a devout heart can he penetrate into the very marrow of the cause he loves. A devout person is one who has already taken the ideal into his soul.
From ancient times to the present, all who have accomplished great things have necessarily been, like the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang, people devout to the utmost toward their ideal. In their eyes, the ideal they pursue is like a sacred land, permitting no defilement. Only thus can one become a true idealist, willing to give up everything to guard the ideal. And the continuous elevation of human civilization depends precisely on this rare and precious idealism.
Devotion is the guarantee of continual refinement. Only devotion can help us set aside all stray thoughts, overcome every obstacle, and pursue with single-minded perseverance. Devotion is a kind of faith; the devout mindset of an idealist grows firmer and firmer amid the trials of hardship. Devotion must gradually deepen because, in the practice of the ideal, the heart has been shaken again and again.
A faith that has not endured hardship is not worthy of trust. Only the idealism that, after enduring hardship, remains devout to the utmost, is the truly unforgettable idealism; for such idealism has grown out of setbacks and can withstand every trial.
A devout idealist stands ready at any time to start from zero and rebuild the magnificent hall of idealism. Even if our ideal is destroyed by external forces until only ruins remain, driven by our devout heart, we will surely be able to rebuild the hall of the ideal. Breaking through brambles and thorns means nothing to an idealist; a born idealist never fears any difficulty.
Life can crush our body, but it cannot crush our spirit. For an idealist, any suffering is endurable; the only thing not endurable is the collapse of the spiritual world—the destruction of life's convictions.
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