"Here there is no talk of the world's affairs - those matters that make wild the hearts of men." Chia Tao (779-843); trans. Mike O'Connor

Saturday, March 12, 2011

My Zen View and Haiku - The Pursuit of Wealth - March 12, 2011

For a Zen Buddhist, the pursuit of wealth presupposes that you are lacking in something and with diligent effort you will fill that lack. That is delusional. You are not really lacking anything of true importance if you can breathe and think. Even pursuing enlightenment is a false search.
There is a Zen story of an earnest young man who desperately wanted enlightenment to prove to his friends how important he was. He asked the wise old monk, “If I study very hard, how long will it take to gain enlightenment?” The monk answered, “Five years.” That seemed too long to the impatient man. He then asked, “If I study very, very hard, day and night, and forsake everything else, then how long until I gain enlightenment?” The monk responded, “Ten years.”
Stop pursuing wealth.
You already have it all.
Breathe deep, smile softly.

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