As a border city must be carefully protected

so guard yourself both within and without;

build your defences wisely and in time. 

If these things are not attended to 

at the right moment, great sadness will come. 

Dhammapada v.315 

We are probably sufficiently aware of how to guard ourselves outwardly; so how do we guard ourselves inwardly? First and foremost it is by protecting ourselves from negative mind states. When Venerable Anando asked the Buddha why it is so important to live a life of integrity, he replied that it meant the heart could be free from remorse. Secondly, we need a good degree of alertness, mindfulness. If our attention is dissipated then we are not in a position to tell that which is beneficial from that which is not. Thirdly, it is necessary that we build a capacity to exercise composure. From the outside composure might appear unimportant, but without it we will probably function in automatic mode; we don’t so much respond to situations as react out of habit. Fourth, and finally in this reflection, we need well-developed discernment. The intelligence we are gifted with as human beings has the potential to be refined to the point where it is ready to ask the right questions at the right time in the right way.