Sunday, April 20, 2014

Wash the bowl!

A monk told Joshu, “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”
Joshu asked, “Have you eaten your rice porridge?
The monk replied, “I have eaten.”
Joshu said, “Then you had better wash your bowl.”
At that moment the monk was enlightened.

Most Zen stories,such as one above, as abstract as it may sound have a profound meaning. The basic meaning is that we would need to immerse our self into an activity however mundane as it may be. In the current age where computer generated  “To-Do” lists rule the roost, we perform the current activity with an eye already on the upcoming next activity.  At the end of the day, even if you may have completed the entire To-Do for the day , there is a feeling of emptiness. The emptiness is due to the lack of mindfulness as we were going through the motion of activities.
So what is the solution? As Leo Babauta calls it, we need to make the current task as an “Universe” by using the following steps:

Step 1: The purpose : Why am I doing this ?
Say you got to do the physical exercise for…but you woke up a bit late (as usual !) …you feel you don’t have enough time to get ready for the office if you do the physical exercise. Now think of the benefit that even a 15-minute exercise routine can bring to your day…the freshness & the energy ….this should be the real motivation to do the exercise …is it not ?

Step 2: Notice The Fear…
Many a time we go through the motion just for the heck of it…For example, take the case of running with music on…you fear boredom during the jog and mostly switch on the music …while  I have nothing against the music, you are not immersing yourself into your running with your earplugs…Am  I jogging on the ramp? Do I need to slowdown ? Has my breathing pattern set-in? How far should I continue running? How is the sun-rise today? 

Step 3: Make the task your universe…
Imagine somebody walking up to your desk and asking for a important document and gives you only 30-minutes to prepare it…what would you do ? Clear up your table literally to just focus on the current task. Close all the browsers on the computer…close the email program…focus on just the document that you wish to type now…Is it not? So bring the same level of focus to every task you want to do !

Step 4: Wash the bowl , when done…

What does your computer do when you shutdown ? It purges the memory and clears the cache so that computer can continue to perform efficiently ! just pause and reflect on the activity just completed…make  a note of jogging routine …be amazed that you can produce a 3-page document in 30-minutes…Let a smile bloom ! this is infinitely better than rushing off to the next task !

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