WHY ATTACH TO YOUR SUFFERING AND YOUR WOUNDED SPIRIT; JUST LET THEM PASS AWAY.
2011 has been a traumatic year that most people would like to forget! The vivid video images of the Japanese tsunami has given us a rare glimpse of the power of Mother Nature that tossed towns and villages into the sea and drowned tens of thousands of people. This incredible tsunami also caused the nuclear meltdown of several nuclear plants in Japan.
On the global front, the mighty Europe with its powerful banks have suffered a serious financial meltdown and threatened the global economy with another great depression. The world is on the verge of another great economic uncertainty and chaos as we enter the new year of 2012. The global economic landscape has been marred by the Arab Spring that has brought popular uprising and great political unrest in the Muslim world in the Middle East.
The world has seldom experienced so many uncertainties as 2012. Where do we go from here? How do these macro upheavals impact the ordinary mortals like you and me? What are our responses in the face of such macro uncontrollable events that may have a severe negative impact on our jobs and financial security? More importantly, in our personal worlds that have been swarmed by toxic gossips and slanders, how do we repair our wounded self-esteem?
Let me share with the following anecdote from `Zen Questions’ that will certainly give us some valuable insights on the art of coping with the troubles in life.
According to Zen traditions, a young girl became pregnant but she would not revealed the identity of the father. Finally, after much questioning and under pressure from her parents, the girl named Hakuin, a well-known Zen master, as the man responsible for her pregnancy. Filled as anger, her parents went to accuse Hakuin and demand that he look after the new born baby. Hakuin’s response was, “Is that so?” and then took the baby from them. Of course, there was a huge scandal and Hakuin completely lost his good reputation. But he did not care about that. For a year, he looked after the child. He fed it, changed its diapers, played with it, and in all respects treated it just as though it was his own. Eventually, the girl could not bear her guilt any longer and she admitted that the real father of her child was somebody else. The parents, cringing with embarrassment, went to Hakuin to offer their profound apologies. Then they explained what had happened and asked for the child back. “Is that so?” asked Hakuin, as he handed the child back to the grandparents.
Based on this relevant anecdote, Robert Allen, the author of `Zen Questions’, shares his insight with us. Zen makes a point of non-attachment which is different from detachment. To cling to things, people, reputation, possessions, and opinions is the surest way to suffering. You cannot grasp those things and, sooner or later, they will be ripped from you. You may ask, “Why didn’t Hakuin defend his reputation and maintain his innocence?” Or, “Didn’t he love the baby after he had looked after it for a year?” The point is that he did what he had to do. In the midst of such toxic circumstances, Hakuin believed that compassion was his best response. Someone had to look after the baby; so he did it without any fuss. But he didn’t get entangled with `love’ which is often perceived as a kind of possessiveness. So when it was time to hand the baby back to the rightful owners, he was able to give it up without any fuss.
In the coming new year 2012, may the Good Lord bless you with the awareness his unconditional love and the Zen spirit of non-attachment as the best weapons to cope with gossips and shame.
Submitted by David YKK
