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The Paramita Of Survival
di Leonardo Anfolsi Reiyo Zenji
Regarding the never answered question of how we live what we have
understood, someone has written to me:
"The only really clear thing I see is being present and the need to live in this... Otherwise, everything turns into pain... and, really, there is nothing else... everything is already there, in the act of attending life"
The author of these lines has a very intuitive mind, and is
exceptionally gifted in writing, so it should not surprise that he is able to express
himself in such a strong and terse manner when speaking of being, etc etc...
Moving forward, this subject is controversial due to the power that
words have in our world, and also due to our habit of being users and
consumers (even of "emotions"), so it’s very hard to realize that not only we can
"feel This", but we can also "devote to This", even without being a
monk.
According to simple Love, it would be unavoidable devoting to This; but
nowadays the Masters of "feel" are trying to switch on vacation,
because in our usual way of life, everything is difficult, even breathing. I’m not
exaggerating: today we have less certainty (good or worse it is) so,
more than before, we are exposed to a continuous challenge.
Maybe it's easier to give away ourselves to a partner in love, or an
intriguing job, or a religion, or a Guru able to lock us in a
subordinate fashion, or inner torment... and nevertheless it’s still true that only
us, only you, is able to define for us a discipline where we are involved
and under pressure, in addition to feeling empowered, revitalized,
encouraged and MAINLY clarified regarding what should be (practically) taken or
dropped in our life.
Do not fall in confusion: even if we are beyond dichotomies, beyond
hopes and fears, beyond accepting or refusing - sooner or later we ought to
take or drop something or someone, and this will reveal our way of life, our
style.
I have attempted to explain that a greater practice of inner exercises
generates richer results than a “memory” of what has been said of
being, teaching....
Every single day we have to surprise ourselves: this is why "religious"
people pray or perform rites everyday; and this is why sesshin, novena,
Ramadan exists! And we "enlighted people", we would like to have
everything already understood only because Someone, maybe me, has told that "the being... bla... bla... bla...."?
Well, you could believe that I’m speaking without a goal, but allow you
a closer sight, and possibly I have shown something by means of my face,
my work, my walk, my silence: all things that can appear to you usual and
expected... but only when your eye, your walk are already usual and
expected.
We are improving our ability in making dull the Holy Reality for the
reason that every day we are trained as "users" or "consumers".
Enlightment means "attending to the life" too, ok, but being the life
itself is even more crystal clear, more powerful, and astonishing. This is the
only enlightment I know, and this is what I show, yes, even when I stumble.
I can show you this only because I "practice" every day and, just
because it already exists and is perfect, I expose it by the never-stale gestures
of every day. I would be fooling you if I were talking of something I read,
or something I listened to, or something I witnessed sometime somewhere in
the past.
This is the unique authentic enlightment I know.