The secret to life in two words

More mind-blowing stuff from HighExistence. [Read This Zen Story to Stop Giving a Fuck…] What up friend! Zen stories are some of my favorite things in the world. They’re the ancient words and deeds of Zen masters, passed through the ages, crossing dynasties and cultures of forgotten peoples, some originating in the time of the Buddha himself. They often seem strange and confusing, but if you look closely, they contain profound wisdom—wisdom that can liberate you from much unnecessary suffering. One might say that the essence of Zen consists in the realization that life is something of a great silly dream, and that accepting all aspects of the dream precisely as they are, is the path to liberation. Most all of us resist various attributes of reality all the time or call them “wrong” or “bad.” Zen teaches us to resist nothing and to let go of the need to make judgments about our experience. This lesson—resist nothing—can be seen as the secret to life. It’s simple to understand, but it’s also notoriously difficult to remember in the moments when we need it most, in the moments when we really don’t want to accept what is happening to us. We rather hold on and feel sorry for ourselves. That’s why we created our ‘Secret to Life’ poster, a deliciously simple flowchart depicting the path to maintaining equanimity in the face of undesirable events: Learn[the full lesson here] We wanted to create a beautiful artifact that would serve as a daily reminder of the most succinct wisdom we’ve ever found for living a more serene and flow-filled existence. We think it’s an ideal reminder to accept what you cannot change and to love your fate precisely as it is. [One of My Favorite Zen Stories] And now—to illustrate this life-changing concept—here’s one of my favorite Zen stories. Read slowly, and really soak this in. The protagonist evidences a level of non-resistance and serenity that most people will never know: A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away. His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.” A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses following. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses. His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.” One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs. His neighbors said, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “We'll see.” The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted. His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “We'll see.” ~ As you can see, the farmer’s response to the various circumstances he encounters is to maintain total equanimity. In my view, he seems to resist nothing by applying these three principles: 1. He understands that no matter what is happening, this too shall pass. 2. He realizes that what appears to be “positive” now might turn out to be “negative” later, and vice versa. 3. He refuses to place any judgments on the present moment; instead, he simply accepts it as it is, drawing no final conclusions. Reflect on these principles for a moment, and think about how you might apply them to your life. Is there anything you resist now that has the possibility to turn into something awesome? Try to keep these simple principles in mind for the next few weeks, and let me know how your life changes. And again, if you want the perfect reminder of this wisdom, our ‘Secret to Life’ poster is something you need to see: ['The Secret to Life in Two Words' Poster] Much Love, Jordan Bates HighExistence Editor-in-Chief P.S. I think the rap artist KOOL A.D. taught me more about resisting nothing than anyone else. If you’re into rap, I highly recommend googling his Bandcamp. Start with his album ‘51’ and go from there. Peace out, friend. : ] [Unsubscribe] HighExistence 40 E. Main St. #1137 Newark, DE 19711 USA