Step by step I went when young,
Thinking to take Tiger Mountain
By strategy or storming Heaven
Just for laughs.
Trying hard to push the river,
I carried myself forward,
Quite lost through my own effort.
Just seeing this and
Doing that,
Now I'm seated in my garden,
Listening to the small birds sing,
Quite content to watch all things
Come forth, and let the world
Just turn itself.
"To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion.
That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening."
- Dogen Zenji, Genjo-koan
What a relief it is to know that our constant effort is not required to keep this big world turning, the great river flows on quite nicely all on its own. Our effort is best spent in being aware of the turning and the flowing and in listening to the small bird's songs.
Today's image is of the author at 19 years of age, in the mountains of Vietnam.
