Brendan Thorn Does buddhism have space for strong ambition in the arts and discipline? ...
It depends on the reason for the ambition. If the source of the ambition is selfishness, egocentrism, attachment, or aversion then it will probably fade if the Buddhist makes progress on the path. If the ambition is based on the desire to help others it might survive progress. But often people are not honest with themselves about their motives so they might tell themselves they are motivated by unselfishness even though they really aren't.
I used to go the the local Zen center and once a week there was a talk given by a member of the sangha. Many of these talks were by people who told how they dropped out of the rat race to pursue the path. I thought they were crazy to give up well paying careers to lead a contemplative life ... until I did it myself.
