Doing what we have to do

At the smallest thought, you begin to ramble. You ramble, that is to say, you leave the Way. Journalists always comment the news. Truth is sufficient unto itself, life is truth, truth is the Way. Any comment we add only makes us loose the Way, the truth, life. At the smallest thought, we begin to ramble. In zazen, we let everything appear and everything disappear, without intervening, without controlling – be it pleasant or unpleasant.

At the smallest thought, we loose the Way. Each one of us must face the reality of his or her own life. For each of us, this is how it is, as it is. Here and now, for each of us, the images, the sensations, the emotions, the memories… are different. Just accepting what comes, accepting what goes. Just letting things come to life, letting things die, without moving. Do not fight with the horns of a snail. Let the tree of life spread throughout the universe.

At the smallest thought, you kill the magic of life. Everything that is offered must be experienced, nothing must be rejected. Please, stop crying, stop complaining, stop accusing. Stop cutting, breaking, controlling.

In the monastery, everyone has a role, everyone has a position, everyone must do what there is to do, nothing more. Do not take the place of others, do not do other people’s work. If you do what others have to do, you don’t do what YOU have to do.

Any comment, any thought makes us leave the Way and prevents us from doing what we have to do, that is to say, from giving ourselves wholeheartedly to the situation that falls to us, without expecting anything for ourselves. Whatever the thoughts appearing in your mind, do what you have to do, without being troubled by them.

We received a letter from Minamizawa Zenji who announces us, among other things, the death of his wife, and he remembers the 68 years spent with her. And at the end, he tells us: “I’m not sad, but from now on, I’m alone and I do intend to fulfill my responsibilities as the abbot of Eihei-ji with all my heart, until the end. »

Taiun JP Faure, March 2021