Here is a story. A Zen student asks his master, “What is the path of practice to calm my mind?” The Zen master instructs his student, “Tell me one sentence.” The teacher says, “Come over here. Tell me.” The student comes over, and then the master scolds him, “You don’t have the capacity to listen to me yet. You just follow me. You don’t have the capacity to stop in this present moment.” Later the student asks again, “Please tell me the path of practice to calm my mind.” The Zen master again says, “Come over here.” But this time the student does not come, and the master scolds him again, “I told you to come over here and you don’t listen to me. Get out!”
What is the meaning of this story? We all know that the purpose of living in the present moment is to enrich our lives and cut down the emotions from the past. We don’t have to search for anything. While walking, eating, or listening to the sound of the bell, we just bring our mind back to the body. It’s that simple. Of course, it’s difficult for the mind to stay in the present moment. Zen masters in the old days had special ways of showing this teaching to their students.
If we live with this teaching, then we eliminate those emotions. Our minds shouldn’t run into the past or the future. Being able to not let our mind wander means to stop right here: on this cup of water [pointing to a cup of water] or on this step. The mind is present with each word.
BE LIKE A TREE
Zen Talks by Thích Phước Tịnh
Edited and Illustrated by Karen Hilsberg
Jasmine Roots Press – 2008
CHAPTER TEN
Happiness and Letting Go
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