I Read Zen Stories
One time, Huike shared his troubles with Bodhidharma. ‘My mind is always filled with anxiety. Please help me to quieten it.’
Bodhidharma replied, ‘I will calm these anxieties for you. But first, will you bring them to me? If you can set them before me and say, “These are the anxieties that burden me,” I will be sure to calm them for you.’
Hearing this, Huike realized something for the first time. ‘Anxiety’ was a thing within his mind. In reality, it was intangible.
His fears were intangible, and yet he clung to them. He recognized the futility in this.
There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now.
Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own mind.
(Shunmyo Masuno in the book Zen - The Art of Simple Living)
Bodhidharma replied, ‘I will calm these anxieties for you. But first, will you bring them to me? If you can set them before me and say, “These are the anxieties that burden me,” I will be sure to calm them for you.’
Hearing this, Huike realized something for the first time. ‘Anxiety’ was a thing within his mind. In reality, it was intangible.
His fears were intangible, and yet he clung to them. He recognized the futility in this.
There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now.
Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own mind.
(Shunmyo Masuno in the book Zen - The Art of Simple Living)
