When we lose our balance we die, but at the same time we also develop ourselves, we grow. Whatever we see is changing, losing its balance. The reason everything looks beautiful is because it is out of balance, but its background is always in perfect harmony...everything appears to be in the form of suffering [if we do not realize the background]. But if you understand the background of existence, you realize that suffering itself is how we live, and how we extend our life. page 12
I have been inspired to read , Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. And by inspired I mean I forgot to stop a run of videos from automatically playing on my computer when I walked away from my screen yesterday and when I came back, hours later, I heard the audio version of this book playing and it was like, "Aha! I need to read/listen to this book." So that is what I am doing. You may call it an unrelated coincidence, or "airy-fairy" nonsense...I choose to call it being inspired. :)
Foreground
So this chapter, I am reading now, is all about understanding the difference between the foreground and background of our existence. In the foreground we see things that are beautiful and ugly...you cannot have beautiful without an ugly; right and wrong...cannot have a right without a wrong and good and bad...can't have a good without a bad. When something is seen as beautiful...it is out of balance...the pendulum has swung too much to one side.
But...
Background
The background on which this foreground plays out is always balanced and in harmony...because it is the middle way, the stilled pendulum, the midway point between beautiful and ugly, right and wrong, or good and bad. It is here where there is no duality. ...a merging of both poles. So if we are aware of this spcious background we can just look at suffering as a necessary part of the foreground . In order to swing to joy, we had to have swung to suffering, in order to return to harmony...we must first have experienced chaos. So suffering, then, makes us aware of our every changing foreground and from there we can desire and return to balanced harmony of the background.
Only in this spacious background, will we have order and control.
To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him.page 13
It is All about Letting Go
It is all about letting go and letting be...that which is. Be aware...observe the natural flow of order and disorder without trying to control, manipulate and fix the chaos in the outer world in a futile attempt to bring order to your psyche. Just gently bring your awareness to the spacious background and let it go! There you will find harmony and control.
The true purpose is to see things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. This is to put everything under control in its widest sense. page13-14
All is well.
Shunryu Suzuki (2020) Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. 50th Anniversary Edition. Shambala: Colorado
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