Life

LIFE

What is the Life we are living?

 Have we ever paused enough to think about it?

Have we lost the ability to see the Magic of Life?

As I see, Everyone is caught up in routine, and everyone’s mind is preoccupied with , What’s the next thing they have TO DO. And everyone is caught up with doing that, and by doing that, they have all forgotten , how to be in the ‘Moment’. Life exists in this moment only. Everything else is Past or Future.

I think, We are taking Life & its problems , far too seriously, and forgotten to Live.

As I see around me, Most of the people neglect everything else – including Love, relationships, inherent Talents, creativity, Individuality, etc., for the sake of ‘MONEY’ & amassing “Material” worth & Imagine how much time people spend their Life , working in jobs, ‘merely’ to ‘earn’ and ‘spend’.

What is life, other than the span you got between “Birth” & “Death”. When you compare this span with that of the ‘Universe’ , it doesn’t even counts. Then why the hell all these running for achieving ‘something’ and wanting to ‘Become’ . When you take time to observe the rest of the Nature, around you , that we are part off, I could see the absurdity of , we , humans, striving to become something and acquire/possess and live as if , we live to eternity. I get bemused seeing people, even in their late ages also, be passionate of acquiring material wealth and spend sleepless nights over it. It pains , when people fight over issues like ‘Religion’, caste, color, boundaries ,etc., Why can’t we just ‘LIVE’ as other living beings that exists on earth. Does the ‘Intelligence’ of majority of humans is ‘used’ for destructing the planet , we are fortunate to be born in?

I realized , very late into my life (at the age of 51-52 years) that, I really am not bogged down with all the mundane , problems & issues , (for most they are VERY IMPORTANT) like Money, Work, worrying about Future, acquiring wealth by proper & by any means ,God, Materialism etc.,

The only measure of success (and success is defined by not needing to continue the cycle of birth and rebirth) is to live your life in LOVE; to ENJOY and create JOY; to be COMPASSIONATE towards yourself and others; And to access the INDOMITABLE strength within yourself and therefore providing an example for others.

So, how do we do live our life like that?

Simple… just free your MIND and open your HEART… let go of all belief systems, constructs and ideologies… and what remains?

When “Death” holds no “Horror” to you , there isn’t much else left or much to be afraid off. Does it!

Enjoy the small moments in our lives, spend time with loved ones, remove all masks we wear from the time we go out of our homes and be true to yourself. Take time to care for your Health, rather than Wealth. Smile often, which is the most natural thing that we all are born with. Meditate. Listen whatever your heart says rather than to your Mind.

Life is difficult for those who choose the complexities of their mind, live in fear, and believe in a hostile environment.

Life is easy for those who choose the simplicity of their hearts, live in love for themselves, and believe in a friendly universe.

Become Completely Crazy

You Must Become Completely Crazy

One day a visitor came to the Providence Zen Center and

asked Seung Sahn Soen-sa, "If I study Zen, will I attain enlightenment?"

Soen-sa said, "Why do you want to attain enlightenment?"

The visitor said, "I'm upset by all sorts of things. I don't feel free."

Soen-sa said, "Why don't you feel free?"

"I guess I have too many attachments."

"Why don't you cut through these attachments?"

"They all seem very real."

Soen-sa said, "No one knows when he will die. It could be next year, or next week, or in the next five minutes. So put it all down, now, at this very moment. Keep your mind as if you were already dead. Then all your attachments will disappear, and it won't matter whether you study Zen or not. Right now you think, 'I am alive, I am strong.' So you have many desires, many attachments. Only think, 'I am dead.' A dead man has no desires."

The visitor said, "How can I be alive and dead?"

Soen-sa said, "Dead is not dead. We have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. But the Heart Sutra says that in emptiness there are no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind. Without my six senses I have no hindrance. It is very easy. So if I am already dead, seeing is not seeing, hearing is not hearing. It is like passing in front of a restaurant, smelling the good smells, and passing on. It is not my house, so I don't touch."

The visitor said, "How can I practice being dead?"

Soen-sa said, "Only keep the great question, 'What am I?' Now let me ask you, what are you?"

"I'm one."

"Where does one come from?"

"From God. God is one."

"God? Do you understand God?"

"No."

"You say 'one,' you say 'God.' This is wrong. If you make one, it is one. If you make God, it is God. All this is thinking. Without thinking, what are you?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Soen-sa hit him and said, "This is pain. Can 'nothing' feel pain?"

The visitor smiled.

Soen-sa said, "Before thinking, your mind was like a sheet of white paper.

Then you wrote down 'one,' and  God,' and 'nothing,' and so on and so forth.

When you cut off all thinking, you erase all these names and forms and return to your original emptiness. What am I? I don't know. When you keep the great question, you keep the mind that doesn't know. Don't-know mind is empty mind. There are no words, no speech. So there is no one, no God, no nothing, no mind, no emptiness.

This don't-know mind is very important.

I is don't-know, don't-know is I.

Only this.

This is your true self. So always keep don't-know mind."

The visitor said, "My friends think I'm crazy because I'm interested in Zen."

Soen-sa said, "Craziness is good. Crazy people are happy, free, they have no hindrance. But since you have many attachments, you are only a little crazy. This is not crazy enough. You must become completely crazy. 

Then you will understand."

(Excerpts from a Book of Zen)