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ASIAN RELEVANCE TWO-PART
OF ZEN,RESPOND in 5-7 paragraphs Original Post Relevant, Reflective, professionally written content?
On the relevance of Zen stories http://www.101zenstories.org/101-zen-stories-table-of-contents/
From surveying some of the (very short) 101 Zen stories (linked in the Content section) what lessons do you think any of them convey concerning how we should live our day to day lives or how we should think about our existence? Do any of your own life experiences relate to the point you see in any particular Zen story?
PART TWO RESPOND BRIEFLY to 2 comments?
In the Zen story, A Mother’s Advice
Jiun, a Shogun master, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of the Tokugawa era.
When he was young he used to deliver lectures to his brother students.
His mother heard about this and wrote him a letter:
“Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information and commentation, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain. Devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization.”
This story symbolizes a mother’s heartwarming advice as she was able to convey a personal and deeper truth for her young son’s time well spent. As a mother, I get it that sometimes siblings are to help each other; but sometimes performing service for others can overshadow one’s own life-dreams. This wisdom better illustrates that every child born is gifted with a dream and should not delay in taking some time out to formulate exactly what that dream is. Therefore, the lesson to consider here is one’s own existence.
I am reminded of a piece of advice my own mother gave me – “If you live your life to fulfill someone else’s dreams, you’ll never get that time back to discover your very own dreams.” Her words have allowed me to quit my job and take out the time to pursue my dream. Where ever it leads me, I am ready.
Some of the Zen stories relate to my daily life. “A Drop of Water” explains that we should not waste the anything that should be valued, and, in this scenario, it is water. As a child, my mom always taught me to eat every drop of food on my plate and be grateful that we were blessed to eat. “A Buddha” also reminds me of my life at times because when I think I want to start a diet or organized fast, I fail every time. Some people are very strict on themselves and believe in eating, drinking, and sleeping at a certain time, however, for people like me, it can be extremely difficult, as we choose to live freely. “Time to Die” explains life for every living thing on earth, death is my least favorite topic. In all, the Zen stories could relate to everyone in some way.