Perfection

The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.

Perfect... They are all... perfect...

—Katsumoto, in The Last Samurai

The first line is spoken to Nathan Algren at the beginning of his enforced stay. The last line is said as Katsumoto lays dying. To me, the juxtaposition represents the difference between seeking Zen and becoming Zen. A seeker is looking for the one thing, the one truth that is just right. One who has become Zen has given up differentiating between things and truths. Everything is perfect, just as it is. Though it is difficult for many of us (including me) to always see this perfection.