Once upon a time in a tranquil village, where the mountains met the sky and the rivers sang sweet lullabies, lived a wise old sage named Master Rin. He was known far and wide for his wisdom on the art of meditation. On a serene afternoon, Master Rin found himself sitting under a blossoming cherry tree, gazing at the endless horizon.
“Ah, young one,” he greeted you with a warm smile as you approached him. “You look troubled. Come, sit. First, just relax your mind. Let it be like the calm surface of the pond over there.”
You sat beside him, feeling the tension dissipate. “But how do I relax, Master?”
Master Rin chuckled softly. “You don’t need to try to relax. You don’t even need to meditate on anything in particular. All you have to do is let go. Let go even of the idea of letting go. Whether you can or cannot, it’s all okay. Just be, and in that being, you will find relaxation.”
Feeling lighter already, you listened intently as he continued, “Meditation may seem like a grandiose subject, something too vast and complex to grasp. But don’t let that intimidate you. The core is incredibly simple. Anyone can meditate, anywhere, anytime.”
Encouraged, you asked, “What should I do then?”
He paused and said, “Sit upright. Let your eyes stay open and let your gaze be natural. Your gaze is the window to your soul, and it can change the very essence of your meditation.”
You noticed Master Rin’s eyes—calm yet lively, focused yet infinite. “Look at the great ones,” he said, “The Buddha, Guru Rinpoche; their eyes are open, aren’t they? Their gaze unflinching, yet expansive.”
As you sat there under the cherry tree, your gaze softened, and you began to feel an inner silence. “Now,” Master Rin spoke in a whisper, “simply let your mind be. Open, spacious, calm, and yet fully aware.”
The world seemed to slow down, and you felt as if you were in a timeless space. “Your mind is like the sky,” Master Rin continued, “let the thoughts and emotions pass like clouds, without holding onto them. Just rest in this present moment.”
He looked at you and said, “I remember my own master once told me, ‘The past is gone; the future yet to come; only the present is real. And even the present moment, the moment you ponder on it, it’s already past.'”
You felt as if you were floating in a sea of awareness. “When you’re in this state,” he said, “you will realize you are so much more than your thoughts, emotions, or perceptions. You don’t need to fear them; they are not you.”
“You mean, I’ll be free?” you asked.
“Absolutely,” he said with a smile. “You’ll be aware without being entangled. Just like space isn’t defined by the objects that move through it, your awareness isn’t defined by the thoughts or emotions it perceives. It simply is.”
Feeling a newfound sense of freedom, you sat there, simply resting in the natural state of your present mind, under the cherry tree, beside the wise Master Rin.
“See?” he said, “You’ve already begun the journey to discover the pure, unbounded awareness that has been with you all along.”
And so, under the cherry blossom tree, in the tranquil village where the mountains met the sky, you found peace, guided by the wisdom of Master Rin. Your heart felt lighter, your mind clearer, and your spirit freer than it had ever been.
Anonymous
Read more
Ever-changing
thoughts and feelings
A Spiritual Athlete, known for his physical prowess and mental discipline, approached his Zen master after an intense training session.
“Master,” he asked, “I have learned to control my body, to move with grace and strength, and to harness my breath. But when it comes to my mind, I struggle to find stillness amidst the ever-changing thoughts and feelings.”
Prayer
A Spiritual Athlete once approached her Zen guru with a question about prayer. She asked, “I have been contemplating the nature of prayer. It seems that when we pray, we are reaching out to an external deity. But is it possible that, in reality, we are praying to the unrevealed Self within us?”
Five elements
One day, a curious Spiritual Athlete approached her Zen guru with a question about the five elements: water, fire, earth, air, and aether. She asked, “Master, how can I understand the significance of these elements in my spiritual journey?”