700 A.D.
"Ah, that old nag in the village! What does she know about planting rice? "Wait until three days after the full moon". Nonsense! I plant when the water is high because what if the rains fail? And my neighbor's dog- what a nuisance! Up all night, yapping at this and that. I'd move from this village if I could!".
It was for the purpose of stopping this incessant mind chatter that Zen was practiced, for it was said to lead one to Satori, or enlightenment. After Satori, this same hypothetical villager, named Po, would be seen calmly walking around, his mind as still as the surface of the koi pond. Nothing would rattle him for long before his mind resumed stillness. In the state of supreme illumination, movement was still occurring, the hands and arms were steering the ax as it fell, and the body was occasionally strained by the weight of water buckets suspended over the shoulders by means of a stout staff, but the mind was relaxed and enjoying the present moment. Yet, strangely, the mind was not numb but very, very alert.
Hark! A bird in the forest! Footsteps approaching upon the village path! The distant rumble of thunder! A voice singing in the rice paddies! A swarm of bees by the jasmine flowers!
What a blessed life. Simple, uncluttered, primal, right, and perfect. Perhaps after dinner in the evening a song would be sung for Po’s family by a local musician, a lilting song accentuated by adept bending of the notes on an (organic, of course) reed flute.
Doesn’t this make you feel peaceful?
Faye Cornish- Unsplash.com
2018 A.D.
That same villager, Po, reincarnated to serve the heathen horde in present day Tech Village and had trouble staying out of monkey mind. All around him was noise- cars, car alarms, sirens, airplanes, trains, rap music, classical music, notification chimes, bells, and gongs, rude shouting people, slick games that work to compel and involve (the latest is 'Red Dead Redemption 2', seven years in the making), 24/7/365 media access, binge watching, social media, upgrades, keeping up, and soooo much more, most of it inorganic.
Amazingly, and to the bafflement of naysayers, Po has overcome this. His mind is still still, as unrippled as it was over a millennia ago. How does he do it?
(Let's ask!)
‘Rick’ interviews Po on the Satori Times You Tube channel:
"Po, can I call you ‘master’?"
"It's already been done, Rick. Just call me Po"
"'K, Po it is. Po, how the frickin' frack do you keep your head on straight in the face of this barrage? Wasn't it easier back in the day?"
"Yes, it was, Rick. Much easier. You know, I've been interviewed a lot lately, once news of my former status leaked out. I tried to keep a low profile but my NowAGram account…. …was hacked"
"So we heard!"
"Yes (chuckles). Welcome to the 21st century! Anyway, it can be done. Remaining untouched and unsullied by The World even deep within this godawful din"
"Um... ..for our listeners and viewers, how exactly is that sort of thing accomplished? Remaining centered?"
"It's easy, Rick. You don't have to turn anything off at all"
"I was expecting a totally different answer!"
"So is everybody else. The trick is, don't give what is happening out there any importance. That's all"
"All you have to do?"
"Right, yup, you got it. Just don't pay it any attention. Attention is key. I understand that you have to give things your attention. That’s proper, that’s right, that’s practical. Just don’t pay them too much attention. That's your only power in these times. Get educated. Figure out how to do that. Discard everything else"
"Sounds too easy!"
"It is easy. Just disregard the junk!"
"But what if you don't know what the junk is?"
"Start questioning. Begin exploring. Hash things out. That's all I can tell you. True intent will steer you down the correct path. Just ask that what you give attention to has integrity. Is important. Adds value. Those are your clues. There are others. That which does not fit those kinds of intentions will disappear from your view, or you won't find interest in them anymore. All you gotta do to get the ball rollin' on this is ask"
"Po, I'd also like to ask you about....."
"No more questions! I just gave you the answer"
"But...."
"No buts. We're done here. Get to work!".
I felt like Po had just struck me over the head with a Zen stick but you know, that approach is so typical of those guys. Straight up, no chaser.