GREAT ZEN

The essence of Zen lies in the fact that nothing is ever fully resolved. All answers remain incomplete, giving the listener the opportunity to complete the thought themselves. They find the answer within themselves. Zen is not an answer to a question, but something greater than an answer. The Zen poet Issho wrote: Before the window a slender green bamboo sings with a rustling voice. Its feathery foliage covers my table without permission, knowing that there is no more secluded place. A Zen person is simply a meditative mind, observing what is happening around. And everywhere he sees beauty. The beauty of life is such that he wants to write about it in a book. The poor Issho lived in a hut near a bamboo grove. Falling leaves flew into his house and fell under the table. He says: "...knowing that there is no more secluded place." He wants to tell you that even trees have their own consciousness. Everything is endowed with consciousness. There are different forms of consciousness; we simply live in an ocean of consciousness. There are millions of interpretations of what is happening... therefore, we cannot accurately determine what the bamboo is doing. In the Mukta pond, two beautiful snow-white swans swim. They look so thoughtful, as if they spend the whole day in zazen... they didn't rent a bicycle, they don't need to go to the movies. They simply do nothing: they simply live, without engaging in philosophical disputes. Their behavior is very similar to the behavior of a Buddha (Buddha is an enlightened person, i.e., one who has not been swallowed by the world), they are not in a hurry, they simply enjoy life; they do not work, they do not toil, they do not strike, they are not interested in the outside world; they have nothing, pure, unblemished consciousness. But how does a person live? Our life is not as fulfilling as nature intended. We continue to indulge our desires endlessly, living in dreams, turning our life not into a spectacle, but into a farce; we want to be loved and understood, but we cannot achieve what we desire. A person plays many roles, but none of them are real. Each role is just another mask, unconsciously shaped by his environment and inclinations. This is not your life. Your life should not turn into the life of the people around you. Every day, year after year, you walk like someone's shadow. People are in such a hurry that they don't have time to live. These two swans just live, and people just rush. People count the minutes, people count the hours, because they have completely forgotten that they are eternal. After all, in 70 years of life, you need to fulfill so many desires, bring so many plans to life. There is simply no time left for life. There is no time left for anything else. All these dreams remain empty, and aspirations unattainable. People have become incredibly fast-paced, hectic, and restless. People die with empty hands. You are always rushing, hurrying, and life passes you by, because life is not in a hurry. Life is always here. You want so much, but... everything remains unfinished. There is no death, there is only eternal life. We have always been here, on this planet, in this universe in one form or another. We do not go anywhere, we simply change form. The very confidence that we have always been here on Earth and will remain here forever gives great relaxation. There is no need to rush anywhere; you can take your time, do something, devote all your attention to something... But people are so absorbed in their daily worries that they do not have time to be interested in the eternal. The whole world is wasting time. Many start playing cards and computer games or go to the movies... and when you ask them - why do they do this, they answer: "To kill time." And no one objects! What are you talking about? It is time that is killing you! Time is the fire in which we burn! You can't even grab it. Time is constantly slipping away - so quickly that you cannot see it. Time has already exhausted thousands of fools, and it will reach you too. How can you kill time? But millions of people around the world continue to kill time in every possible way, as if life was given to them only to destroy. From century to century, adding turmoil to turmoil, making all the same mistakes. These people only think they are living, because they have not learned the secrets of life. They have not learned the silence of the heart. They do not live, they simply while away their lives. Hey boatman, how much longer do I have to live, what else can I do with myself before I die? Oh, I'll go play HEROES.