Sincerely, B.

Are you certain that that which you hold to be bad is not in fact a blessing?

I started with a most selfish post that said something along the lines of “I wish I had someone to talk with about zen.” Upon finishing this sentence the word ‘wish’ jumped out at me, as it’s associated with desire and, by extension, suffering. This led me to question how would such a desire for a teacher cause me to suffer?

Out of nowhere came the answer: self-doubt. I’ve been afraid that, by not having a teacher to speak with — a more experienced practitioner of zen or introspective thinking — my interpretations of zen teachings have been wrong, which would lead me to incorrect conclusions.

I stopped to consider this doubt, I could feel how it disturbed me. Then a voice came to me. It asked something along the lines of “What makes you think that you do not already possess all that you need?”

After hearing this question I knew that I no longer needed to concern myself with this issue of self-doubt, because it would only remain a problem so long as I dwell in it.

Suffering is universal; its cause is desire; when desire ceases, suffering ends

(via web of words)

Whenever you feel hurt or are filled with a nagging sense of dread, unfulfillment, or unhappiness, just ask yourself these two questions:

1. What is it that I desire?
2. Why would this desire cause me to suffer?

Since reading about Zen while I was on vacation, I’ve becoming quite the introspective thinker. This has led me to realize a number of general truths about the causes and motivations behind my feelings and actions. It’s been pretty mind-blowing, and I feel as if I’ve been freed of an immense amount of nagging self-doubt.

For instance, I now see that I’d been lying to myself for quite some time about a variety of things, such as my previously discussed motivations for doing things for people (Secret desires). And as much as I’d like to say that knowing that this has been going on is depressing, I feel quite relieved.