The Zen of Doing

I just love zenhabits

Let all thoughts about anything other than the doing also fade away. They’ll come up, but gently make note of them, and then let them go. And return to the doing.

If you’re washing a dish, do it slowly, and feel every sensation. If you’re eating a fruit, taste it, feel the textures, be mindful of your hunger or lack of it. If you’re writing something, pour your heart into that writing, become the writing, inhabit the words.

Just do.

The rest of the world becomes meaningless distraction. It’s just you, and your doing.

And you realize: this is all that matters. In this, there is everything.

There is something profound in that simplicity. Something ultimately heart-rendingly breath-takingly gorgeous.

“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.” ~Shunryu Suzuki

“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” ~Zen proverb


“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.” ~Zen proverb

Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
spring comes,
and the grass grows by itself.

~Zen proverb
 

No Goals!

From zenhabits

Consider this common belief: “You’ll never get anywhere unless you know where you’re going.”


This seems so common sensical, and yet it’s obviously not true if you stop to think about it.


Conduct a simple experiment: go outside and walk in a random direction, and feel free to change directions randomly. After 20 minutes, an hour … you’ll be somewhere!


It’s just that you didn’t know you were going to end up there.


And there’s the rub: you have to open your mind to going places you never expected to go. If you live without goals, you’ll explore new territory.


You’ll learn some unexpected things. You’ll end up in surprising places.

 

Zen

Words I like to think about.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

Guatama Buddha

Sitting peacefully doing nothing
Spring comes
and the grass grows all by itself.

Lao Tzu

If you understand, things are just as they are;
if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

Before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water.
After enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water.


Consider the trees which allow the birds to perch and fly away
without either inviting them to stay or desiring them
never to depart. If your heart can be like this,
you will be near to the way.

Zen sayings