I'm "studying up" on the Six Paramitas and just found this quote in The Practice of Perfection by the late Robert Aitken Roshi. This is in his chapter on Virya Paramita, or the perfection of energy or zeal.
"The first lesson is that distraction or obstruction are just negative terms for your context. Circumstances are like your arms and legs. They appear in your life to serve your practice. As you become more and more settled in your purpose, your circumstances begin to synchronize with your concerns. Chance words by friends, books, and poems, even the wind in the trees brings precious insight."
"Distraction" or "obstruction" are just negative terms for your context. Put another way, maybe what we think is an obstruction could really be a door, or a bridge. Given that the Roshi was introduced to Zen while imprisoned in Japan during World War II, he would have known about difficult contexts.
No comments:
Post a Comment