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Things are not what they seem; nor are they otherwise. Realize it. Make it yours. Don't waste your time and energy. Your daily experiences are very important. View them as your practice or shugyo. Shugyo literally means to accomplish your life. Do not ignore whatever happens in your life. Each of us has life circumstances. Each of our lives are different. But one aspect of life which is true for each of us is that our life circumstances are changing. Nothing is the same day to day, even moment to moment. Does this sound scary? Do you wonder, "How can I control these changing circumstances?" You can't. Don't even try. You may ask, "How can I take care of my life"? Don't worry that such and such will happen. Don't create such anxieties. Rather, wait and see what happens, wait and see what events occur in your life. Feel anguished or elated if such feelings are part of the experience. That's part of being human. But don't categorize life experiences as negative or positive, miserable or happy. Then whatever happens, let it happen. Think, "How can I take care of it? What can I do to learn from it?" Instead of being caught up by a happening, rather see it, face it, overcome it and learn from it. This is the attitude of someone seeking the meaning of life. ---Sensie Ogui, from the 1998 book "Zen Shin Talks," edited by Koshin Ogio and Mary K. Grove |
