Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.
I've got a favourite Zen story. It goes like this:
"One day a man of the people said to Zen Master Ikkyu: 'Master, will you write for me some maxims of the highest wisdom?' Ikkyu immediately took his brush and wrote the word 'Attention'. 'Is that all?' asked the man. 'Will you not add something more?' Ikkyu then wrote twice running: 'Attention. Attention.' 'Well,' remarked the man rather irritably, 'I really don't see much depth or subtlety in what you have just written.' Then Ikkyu wrote the same word three times running: 'Attention. Attention. Attention.' Half-angered, the man demanded: 'What does that word 'attention' mean anyway?' And Ikkyu answered gently: 'Attention means attention.'"
Well, after we have mastered Zen Master Ikkyu's lesson, I believe we ought to master the next - making decisions... attentively.
"One day a man of the people said to Zen Master Ikkyu: 'Master, will you write for me some maxims of the highest wisdom?' Ikkyu immediately took his brush and wrote the word 'Attention'. 'Is that all?' asked the man. 'Will you not add something more?' Ikkyu then wrote twice running: 'Attention. Attention.' 'Well,' remarked the man rather irritably, 'I really don't see much depth or subtlety in what you have just written.' Then Ikkyu wrote the same word three times running: 'Attention. Attention. Attention.' Half-angered, the man demanded: 'What does that word 'attention' mean anyway?' And Ikkyu answered gently: 'Attention means attention.'"
Well, after we have mastered Zen Master Ikkyu's lesson, I believe we ought to master the next - making decisions... attentively.
posted by Malaysian X at 11:16 AM
3 Comments:
"...and he wrote again "attention, attention, attention, attention". The man got angrier. "can you write something more meaningful?" Ikkyu wrote "attention,attention,attention,attention,attention" and he got even angrier...and Ikkyu wrote more attention...even angrier...wrote somemore...angrier and shouted...wrote lots of attentions...rage...wrote more...etc."
The moral of the story is that we must be attentive. What kind of story is this? ah MOAM?
Yes, now Hobbes, don't you feel like that angry man shouting at the calm Zen Master who makes his point ever so subtly?
Life does not give us answers on a silver platter, so to speak.
And when the Master speaks and points to the moon, if we only look at his finger, then we will not get the point... will we?
In any case, I've said this before: The truth is obvious, but only when we realise it.
Well, if you read one of my earlier posts on Mindless In Malaysia, you would have come across this: The path of self discovery is the path to success.
Well, in a way, that's what we are talking about when we say: (1) we need to be attentive; and (2) we need to be proactive.
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