What Does True Transformation Look Like?

What does transformation look like? Nothing. That's what. I see people posting pictures of themselves or others in bathing suites or bikinis as proof of transformation. I see people posting updates on their financial success or the financial success of their cohorts as proof of breaking the chains of their former lives. I propose that this is just trading in one illusion for another, one set of chains for another. Of course, I can't offer any advice on true transformation, because I really don't know, but that is the point ;-)

Pious Possessions

There was a great and noble King that ruled over what used to be 8 separate kingdoms. His armies defeated lesser Kings, and, upon finding themselves part of his kingdom, his new subjects rejoiced in his ability to govern with fairness and efficiency. One day an enlightened monk who wondered through the kingdom wearing only rags and carrying only his rice bowl arrived at the entrance of the castle and asked for an audience with the King. There was a festival that day, and everyone was celebrating in a field a short distance away. The King said to the monk, "leave your bowl here, let us walk to the festival, and after we talk, I will fill your bowl with rice and give you a place to sleep for the night." As they walked, the monk began to recite his tried and true message: "You are successful and happy, and you bring success and happiness to others, but you still do not know your true self, and, therefore, have not achieved true happiness, nor been able to bestow this on your people. So long as you cling to your worldly possessions and concepts, you trap yourself in karmic sorrow, and you trap your people in karmic sorrow. I ask that you put yourself under my tutelage, so that I can help you find your way to the way." Just then, someone cried out, "the castle is on fire!" The King turned and saw his castle engulfed in flames, but then he looked around and saw that everyone was already a safe distance away at the festival, so he said, "everything I care about is already out of harm's way." The monk turned and saw the same scene and shouted, "my rice bowl!", and began to run towards the castle. As he watched the monk run straight towards his burning castle, the King said, "farewell, master".

-----

This is an adaption from a much shorter Zen teaching whose origin and author are, as yet, unknown to me, but, to be sure, it is probably 1000s of years old written by someone who is more modern than I will ever be.

Hidden Treasure

There was once a monastery in a remote province, situated on a very busy east-west path, such that nearly every traveler would stay for the night. The monastery was run by five elderly monks.

It was not always that way. There used to be 40 monks of varying ages, but as they started to pass away of old age, their numbers diminished, until, finally, seven remained, including the master.

On the eve of his death, the master transmitted his Buddha mind to the most enlightened of the six, but the morning after, both the master and his disciple were dead, the latter having died of a stroke.

Left without a master, aging and barely able to operate the monastery, the monks tried to impress upon their guests the simplicity and beauty of their way, but no one, not even the weariest of travelers, showed any interest in joining them.

After one of them fell ill and almost died, the monks decided, out of sheer desperation, to seek advice from a mystic living in a nearby forest. They traveled for half a day to reach his cabin. He greeted them from his garden and invited them into his sitting room.

They told him about the events that lead them to their current circumstance, how they tried and failed to engage travelers to join their ranks, and how, if the situation did not improve, the death of any one of them would make it impossible to continue running the monastery, which would end the succession of masters in their monastic lineage, and would leave many travelers with nowhere to turn during their long journey.

The mystic reflected for 3 hours. He sat motionless and expressionless - his eyes fixed on the wall opposite him. The monks were so entranced by this, that they sat equally still and quiet for the entire duration. He then stood up and asked the monks to walk with him to his garden. As they walked out of his cabin, he began to speak in a quiet and monotone voice:

"I do not know why fate brought you to the circumstance you find yourselves in today, or how you might better engage your guests to join you, or what will happen to weary travelers if the monastery closes, but I do know one thing."

By this time the monks had reached the mystic's garden. The mystic himself never left his doorway. He just spoke louder as the monks got further away, which created the Illusion of closeness. The monks paused and listened intently. The flowers in the garden swayed within a soft breeze.

"You need not concern yourselves with your lineage, because one of you is already a great Buddha."

They turned in unison and began to clamor as to who, but the mystic abruptly closed and locked the door. After 30 minutes of knocking and pleading, they gave up and began their long journey home in a somber mood.

In the days that followed, not knowing who among them was the great Buddha, they treated each other with newfound reverence and comported themselves with newfound grace.

In the weeks that followed, this mutual reverence and grace permeated every aspect of the monks' behavior. The guests took notice. The word spread. Within six months, 10 travelers stayed on to live their way. After a year, 30 more joined. When asked by new disciples, "who among you is the master?", the monks would answer, "all of us and none of us."

-----

Note: This story is adapted from a much shorter Zen teaching whose origin and author are, as yet, unknown to me, but is probably 1000s of years old and written by someone who is more modern than I will ever be.

Can’t Hurt My Habits

I would not ordinarily recommend books in pairs, but, on this occasion, I am compelled. Book #1 is ‘Can’t Hurt Me’ by David Goggins, a truly awe inspiring book by an awe inspiring man. His childhood story makes you want to give him a long, empathetic hug. His adulthood story makes you want to bow your head in reverence. That being said, if you transcend the Hero’s Journey in his life story and take stock in the imbalanced life he has embraced in service of stripping away every comfort and convenience to get to the raw person underneath, you will recognize the necessity of his ways for him, and, perhaps, for 99.9% of you, the impracticality of his ways for you. That is where Book #2 comes in: ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. One of the most succinct, plainly worded and insightful treatments of the art of forming positive habits. To the extent that our foundation is the sum total of our habits, on top of which we operate with discretion, I can think of no better companion to ‘Can’t Hurt Me’, because it will give you a ladder and a step by step path towards something ‘bigger and badder’ in your life, without asking you to hurl yourself with a catapult. What’s more, because ladders are more accessible, and more accommodating to more people, this practical guide also, I think, leaves more room to take others with you as you go. It is not as Romantic as the lone man taking down a grizzly bear, but have you seen the Revenant?

The Reason In Your Heart

When I meditate, I focus on my heartbeat instead of my breath. To begin with, one can notice one's breath even in a disquieted state, so I find that focusing on it can lead to non-meditative meditation, whereas you have to be pretty quiet to hear your heart. Next, since I cannot consciously control the pace of my heart, I find that tuning into it connects me to a cycle beyond myself, to whatever my heart is synchronized with out there, if anything. Finally, as I tune in to my heart, I learn how to slow it down by effecting the things I can control - my thoughts, my breathing, etc. This is true in life as well. Whether it be habits or preparedness or courtesy or kindness, there are so many things that we can control which benefit the things we cannot control immensely. If you can influence the rhythm of your heart, you can influence the reason in your heart, and the reason in your heart can transform everything you do into pure joy. 

Two Stories

Two Stories. One apocryphal. One not. I will let you discern.

When African hunters want to capture a monkey, they carve a hole in a tree that has an opening just large enough for an average monkey's hand to fit through, and then they hollow it out by adding some additional width and depth. Then they create a trail of salt rocks - like sugar for monkeys - leading up to the tree, and then place a few in the hole as well. An unsuspecting monkey comes along, finds a salt rock and then follows the trail to the tree, eating along the way, whereupon they put their hand in the hole and grab the salt rocks within. The monkey's open hand fits through the hole on the way in, but it's closed fist does not fit through the hole on the way out. At this point, the hunters surprise the monkey, thereby causing him to clench his fist even further, thereby capturing himself.

We trap ourselves by our unwillingness to let go of what we have.
We subvert the whole for the part.

A famous Guru in India gave a Friday night talk at a local community center about finding inner peace and happiness. The talk went into the late hours of the evening. After it concluded, a man from the audience approached the Guru and asked if he could speak with him privately. The Guru replied, "It is very late, and I get up very early, so I don't have much time, but tell me what is on your mind." The man begins, "My life is meaningless. I have nothing in it that brings me joy. I have no reason to live. I suffer every day and have reached the point where I would rather be dead." The Guru reflects for a moment and replies, "I can help you, but our first conversation will be a long one, so I will clear my schedule for you. Come to my house at 5am tomorrow, and we will spend the entire day together." The man replies, "5am? That is too early. I like to sleep in on Saturdays."

We keep ourselves trapped by clinging to our habits and our identities.
Even in the face of urgency.

Dogillusions

When I take Maggie for walks, I do it "hands free", as it were, with a very long leash that I attach to her harness and then let drag on the ground behind her. I give her freedom that is, in fact, merely an illusion of freedom, and I break this illusion in a shocking way when I step on the leash to prevent her from going astray. Eventually, we arrive at a field near my house where I unleash her completely, and where she, upon realizing that the leash is off, begins to run around but not run away. It is unclear if her continued proximity to me has to do with independent good behavior or if she still expects to be snapped back if she gets too far away. In effect, at this point, I am not sure who, between us, is perpetrating the illusion. Well, today I left her in the back yard when we got home, so that I could remove my muddy shoes and then retrieve her from the deck, so that I could wash my muddy dog. When I went out on to the deck, she was gone. I went back through the house to the front door to see if I could intercept her before she got too far, and she was sitting right in front of the door, patiently waiting for me to let her in. Maggie is a lot smarter than I give her credit for. Perhaps we need no illusions between us?