Foreword

Do not disregard small misdeeds,
Thinking they are harmless,
Because even tiny sparks of flame,
Can set fire to a mountain of hay.

- Sutra of the Wise and Foolish (Pearcey 2008)

Good ideas that others have not put into practice before could benefit us if we master them all right. Much depends on practical outlets and good outfit these days.

Different sayings may be understood in concrete ways, figurative ways and both ways also.

Through attuning well to deep experiences there may be bites to digest.

Accumulated experiences of many may not be without regrets. It helps to avoid matters that cause regrets.

Not just the body, but the mind or soul too needs quality nourishment. There are different forms. Sound ◦meditation, like TM is for relaxing and getting vitalised and maybe nourishing the mind on the deeper levels. There is research that illustrates how beneficial TM is for destressing, and in consequence preventing stress-linked diseases. There are very many such diseases.

After meditation, one may reflect. In Tibetan, such activity is termed lojong. It involves thinking a lot and regularly on titbits.

Relaxing, being calm, goes into methodical training too. (Herrigel 1989)

If good company is lacking, books and decent ideas could mean a lot.

Sorting and implementing 'hows' in time may be up to you. Good luck.

Hope - Example

You will find these sayings in rather arbitrary order under "hope":

To hope is not always to cope. Hoping that lead to good coping can be OK.

Unfounded hope does not signify that we prepare for the worst.

Hopes outside rustic living are largely unfounded.

To put fervent hopes in soap could turn many guys into dopes.

There is sound hope and not sound hope. Hope in reaching artistry comes in between.

On the way to making able use of hope, get the facts first, then sort them - for example by seeking to implement cardinal points one by one, adhering to "first things first" and "one step at a time". If so, try to sort them into three groups by surveying them and asking:

1. "Does this lesson suggest any basic information in this field?" If so, I can place the saying in the first group.
2. "Does it contain something to stand on, be based on? If so, what is it?"
3. "Does it contain anything valuable to implement by carefully sifting things from the two first groups somehow?"

Caveats aside, such a way of dealing with good points allows for stage-wise progress in a field or track if things go well. That may not be so sure, for much depends on one's company and conditions. Take that into account.

Further, it may not always be clear-cut which group to place a statement in. There are in fact lots of cases where there are more than one "right" place to put a statement, for the interpretations of quite brief statements may not be clear-cut. Hence, allowing for differences of opinion is fit too.

There is a survey of a basic schema to try out to one's ability before getting old. One should allow for variant interpretations of one and the same statement in that a saying can be put in one group or in two or three, for example. It could help to go for the most reasonable, plausible alternative(s). Details of the sorting is explained elsewhere. [More]

The three first groups in the schema may be subdivided.

By applying this novelty of gaining a Tao, as way out, perhaps, one could profit from ideas on hope too by applying the schema ideas to the sayings on hope. Here is a sorting:

There is Sound Hope and Unfounded Hope ☼

The sound hope comes true. Unfounded hope seldom comes true. If unfounded hope comes true, it may be for "other reasons". And there is room for some grey zone in the middle. How to benefit from hopes is a lot. You ought to anchor your hopes in statistics, if no hard facts are found. For example, use statistics to ask, "What are the odds?" - the odds for this and that to happen under such and such conditions for such and such people, that is. By using the schema here, you could end up benefiting from hopes if you (a) learn to select fit high hopes and (b) get from high hopes to the anchored or well grounded hopes and (c) distil useful from that again. It is much "abc-ish" or 1-2-3-ish with a few subdivisions to handle nuances too.

Hopes and beliefs may be tested, by using them as provisional tenets to be tested. Or if they have been well tested by others, study the outcomes of that to spare you the trouble of hoping to your loss or worse.

When testing hopes and beliefs, doubts also set in. It could all be used to our profit - hopes, beliefs and doubts. Basic research uses doubts (in the form of alternative hypotheses) to get to kernels that may prove useful, even handy. So how to get the edge of hopes, beliefs and doubts is fit for a human being. It is a corollary to getting the edge on hopes. Another page goes into how to go ahead with "winning faith and doubts" a Zen way. [Hope and doubt to your advantage if you can]

1. Hopes outside rustic living may turn people into dopes soon enough

To put fervent hopes in soap may turn many guys into dopes. (Span 1)

Hopes outside rustic living are largely unfounded. (Span 2)

2. Many find ways to profit on the backs of dopes with marring or vain hopes

[Added by the accompanying table-based metrics:] Many see a way of good coping by turning others into dopes with few or no hopes. [Alas to that, but it has taken over in a lot of settings.]. (Span 3)

[Added by metrics:] To hope in rustic living may lead to largely unfounded coping, unless you can manage all right there (It takes time to find out).] (Span 4)

3. Sound hope does not largely stultify firm coping on behalf of yourself, your family, or kin

To hope is not always to cope. Hoping that lead to good coping can be OK. (Span 5)

There is sound hope and not sound hope. Hope in reaching artistry comes in between. ✪ 

Unfounded hope does not signify that we prepare for the worst that could happen.

So:

Sound, stepwise goings could help.
Hopes outside rustic living may turn people into dopes with marring or vain hopes.
Sound hopes do not largely stultify, but may be in tune with "merry and OK", at least for a while.
Hope in rustic living without stultifying your kin or others thereby.

More: The global trend of urbanisation had better be made useful to common citizens, or folks deteriorate. Getting vain could be a first step.

To apply the insights locally is a challenge. Good ideas to implement may get a better fare in a group. Group psychology attests to the strengthening effect of a group. (Sjö....)

Sometimes a given, schemed Tao way is one of multiple choices. Decent treks you feel deeply for and are decent, should hardly be ignored.

There are many stultifying agents around - alcohol, tobacco, bad movies and TV programs, abuse of the workers - and much more. Considering the marred state of the planet.

By now you have got an example focused on hope. A hope-founded fare may take into account the dominant trends of human life, globally, locally and otherwise and adjust to what matters to individuals. Sometimes the concerns may be combined, as in good schooling - and sometimes hardly, and at other times not.

"Every little helps (British proverb)."