Bob Schwartz

Chapter 5 – Guarding Awareness
13.
How could there be sufficient leather
To cover the earth entirely?
With just the leather for my soles,
It is as if the whole earth’s covered.
–Shantideva (7th-8th century CE), The Way of the Bodhisattva, translated by Khenpo David Karma Choephel

Making things better. Making other people better. Making the world better.

All for the good.

As Shantideva says in his classic work of Buddhist wisdom, one way to smooth our walking would be to cover the entire earth in leather. Of course that would be impossible.

Instead, we could just choose to wear shoes. Simple.

While we want things, other people and the world to be better, we should start with ourselves. Get those shoes, make those shoes, wear those shoes. Easier than covering the earth.

© 2026 Bob Schwartz