Preparation for the Jorney

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She toiled hard to prepare herself,
Read voraciously, studied all she could find,
Sought advice of masters who might know,
Absorbed what words of wisdom she could comprehend…

Determined she was, laggard she would not be,
when her journey commenced.

She practised hard, prepared her own way,
For she knew not the established style.
Her practice was steadfast…sincere, from-the-heart,

And the determination was very strong; laggard she would not be,
when her journey commenced.

At first it was about things without - the tangible things,
Later it was more within…introspection and circumspection;
When vanity came in her way, she shed all conceit,
Then went her pompousness, then her pettiness…

For determined she was, that when her journey commenced,
Laggard she would not be…

And finally the day arrived when she felt,
Felt an awareness arising from deep within,
She was now prepared…prepared to commence the journey.

And then, abruptly, all of a sudden, a new realization dawned,
It astonished her at first, she struggled with the thought,
This just didn't make sense!
But slowly, very slowly she understood...

The preparation itself was her journey.