Seung Sahn

What we call "world" is only an opinion. Take away your opinions, then what? What is left? That's the point. Take away your opinion—your condition, situation—then your mind is clear like space. Clear like space means clear like a mirror. A mirror reflects everything: the sky is blue, tree is green, sugar is sweet. Just be one with the truth—that's Zen style. If your mind is clear like space, then you see clearly, hear clearly, smell clearly—everything clear. That is dharma. That is truth.

—Seung Sahn

From 22 July on my Zen calendar. The link in the title is to a biography of this remarkable monk (an entertaining biography, btw; he's a ZEN monk). There are lots of ideas in this passage I could focus on, so I'll pick just one.

"A mirror reflects everything." The mirror does not judge or try to change that-which-is. Nor does it try to deny it. It reflects all that it sees. So should we be with the world. Certainly there are problems in the world, but before a problem can be fixed, it must be seen for what it is. No judgment, just observation. Somewhere in that observation is the key to its solution, or, sometimes, the realization that it is not a problem. Too often we see people leap in with "solutions" full of judgment and opinion. More often than not, these "solutions" only make the situation worse. Why? Because they did not take the time to see the situation without judging it. Situations are not good or bad of themselves. They just are.

There's a Zen parable that illustrates how futile it is to judge a situation. I'll tell it as best I remember.

An old farmer and his son happened upon a horse in their field. They calmed it and managed to capture it. It was a magnificent beast, and would make their trips to check on their fields much easier. A neighbor heard the story of finding the horse, and said, "How fortunate you are!"

The farmer shrugged. "We shall see."

The next day, the farmer's son was thrown from the horse and broke his leg. Again the neighbor heard the tale. "Oh. What rotten luck it was that you found that horse!"

Again the farmer shrugged. "We shall see."

The following day, a conscription army marched by, forcing all able-bodied young men into service. Because the farmer's son had a broken leg, he was spared. "How fortunate you are!" the neighbor exclaimed again.

The farmer still only shrugged. "We shall see."