Room for Growth
“No need to seek the truth, only cease to cherish opinions” - Sengcan"Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful" - Lao Tzu
Old Zen practitioners often report that decades of Zen has made them less confused about life. They don’t say that they necessarily have reached some new esoteric understanding, just that the confusion has lessened significantly.
This is one reason why Zen is not the same as self help. Instead of trying to craft the perfect worldview or the most impressive version of yourself, you simply rest in awareness and let the confusion dissipate on its own.
Personally I used to have some anxiety when I felt that I couldn't clearly imagine what the future would be like for me. Eventually I felt that it was better to let it be the mystery that it is, instead of stressing myself out trying to predict the unknown.
Birders often remark how some of the most well populated bird watching spots are not impressive natural areas but water treatment plants or runoff ponds. A perfectly curated garden often has less wildlife in it than a simple patch of trees that’s been allowed to grow unhindered. Nature just needs a place where it’s left alone in order to flourish.
In our daily lives, that empty space that promotes growth could be setting aside a time where we just sit down and pay attention to our breathing. It could be going for a walk, getting our hands dirty with chores, or just trying to keep an open mind about the future.
