What Matters Now

Once it happened, a great prime minister of a very great emperor died.  The prime minister was rare, very intelligent, almost wise, very cunning, shrewd, a great diplomat, and it was very difficult to find a substitute.  The whole kingdom was searched.  All the minsters were sent to find at least three people; then the final decision will be taken and one of them will be chosen.

For months the search was on. The whole kingdom was searched; every nook and corner was searched.  The three persons were found.   One was a great scientist, a great mathematician.  He could solve any mathematical problem, and mathematics is really the only positive science–all sciences are its branches–so he was at the root.

Another was a great philosopher, he was a great system-maker; out of nothing he could create all.  Just out of words, he could create such beautiful systems–it is a miracle, only philosophers can do it.  They have noting in their hands; they are the greatest magicians.  They create God, they create the theory of creating, they create everything–and nothing is there in their hands.  But they are clever artisans of words:  they join words together in such a way that they give you a feeling of substance–and nothing is there.

And the third one was a religious man, a man of faith, prayer, devotion. And the people who were searching for these three men must have been very wise, because they found three.

The three represent the three dimensions of consciousness.  These are the only possibilities: a man of science, a man of philosophy and a man of religion–these are the basis.   A man of science is concerned with experiments: unless something is proved through experiment, it is not proved.  He is empirical, experimental; his truth is the truth of experiment.

A man of philosophy is a man of logic, not of experiments; experiment is not the question; just through logic he proves, disproves.  He is a pure man, purer than that scientist, because the scientist has to bring experiments in, then the laboratory comes in.  A man of philosophy works without a lab–just in the mind, with logic, with mathematics.  His whole lab is in his mind.  He can prove and disprove just through logical arguments.   He can solve any riddle or he can create any type of riddle.

And the third is the religious dimension. This man does not look at life as a problem.  Life is not a problem for the religious man.  It is nothing to be solved, it is something to be lived.

The religious man is the man of experience, the scientist is the man of experiment, the philosopher is that man of thinking.  The religious man is the man of experience, he looks at life as something to be lived.  If there is any solution, it will come through experience, it will come through living.  Nothing can be decided beforehand through logic, because life is greater than logic.  Logic is just a bubble in the vast ocean of life, so it cannot explain all. And experiments can be done only when yo are detached, experiments can be done only with objects.

Life is not an object, it is the very core of subjectivity.  When you experiment you are different; when you live you are one.  So the religious man says, “Unless you are one with life, you can never know it.” How can you know it from the outside?  You may go about and about, and round and around, but you will never hit the target.  So neither experiment, nor thinking, but experience; simple, trusting–a man of faith.

They searched and they found these three men, and then they were called to the capital for the final judgment.  The king said, “For three days you rest and get ready.  On the morning of the fourth day will be the examination, the final.  One of you will be chosen and he will become my prime minister–the one who is proved to be most wise.”

…

They arrived.   The emperor made a very special device.  They were taken into a room where he had fixed a lock, mathematical puzzle.  Many figure were on the lock, but there was no key.  Those figure were to be fixed in a certain way: the secret was there, but one had to search for it and find it.  If those figures were fixed in a certain way the door would open.  The emperor took them in and said, “This is a mathematical puzzle, one of the greatest ever known.  Now you have to find the clue–there is no key.  If you can find the clue, the answer to this mathematical problem, the lock will open.  And the person who comes out of this room first will be chosen.  So now start.”  He closed the door and went out.

Immediately the scientist started working out many experiments, many things, many problems on paper.  He looked–observed the figures on the lock.  There was no time to lose, it was a question of life and death.  The philosopher closed his eyes, started thinking in mathematical terms what to do, how this puzzle can be solved.  The puzzle was absolutely new.

That is the problem with the mind:  if something is old the answer can be found, but if something is absolutely new, how can you work it out through the mind:  The mind is quite efficient with the old, the known, the routine.  Mind is absolutely inefficient when the unknown faces it.

The religious man never went to the lock, because what can he do?  He does not know any mathematics, he does not know any experimental science.  What can he do?  He just sat in a corner. He sang a little, prayed to God, closed his eyes.  Those two other were thinking that he is not a competitor at all.  “In a way it is good, because the thing has to be decided between us two.”  Then suddenly, they became aware that he had left the room, he was not there.  The door was open.

The emperor came in and he said, “What are you doing now? It is finished.  The third man is out.”

But they asked, “How?…because he never did anything.”

So they asked the religious man.  He said, “I was just sitting.  I prayed and I was just sitting and a voice said within me, ‘You fool.  Just go and see. The door is not locked.’  And I just went to the door; it was not locked.  There was no problem at all to be solved, so I went out.”

How often do we puzzle over a locked door that really isn’t locked?  Life is not a problem to be solved.  It is to be lived.  Get up and do.  Trust and allow yourself to walk through the door.  The reward is on the other side.

]]> http://www.aperfectlifenow.com/2009/12/09/puzzling-over-a-locked-door/feed/ http://www.aperfectlifenow.com/2009/11/25/tolerating-procrastination/ http://www.aperfectlifenow.com/2009/11/25/tolerating-procrastination/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:56:50 +0000 admin http://www.aperfectlifenow.com/?p=307 I am stuck.  I am resisting writing new articles for my blog.  In an interesting twist of synchronicity, I found myself reading The Little Rules of Action from Zen Habits.  The opening quote is “The shortest answer is doing.”

In the interest of doing, I am presenting Zen Habits, rules to get unstuck:

1. Don’t overthink. Too much thinking often results in getting stuck, in going in circles. Some thinking is good — it’s good to have a clear picture of where you’re going or why you’re doing this — but don’t get stuck thinking. Just do.
2. Just start. All the planning in the world will get you nowhere. You need to take that first step, no matter how small or how shaky. My rule for motivating myself to run is: Just lace up your shoes and get out the door. The rest takes care of itself.
3. Forget perfection. Perfectionism is the enemy of action. Kill it, immediately. You can’t let perfect stop you from doing. You can turn a bad draft into a good one, but you can’t turn no draft into a good draft. So get going.
4. Don’t mistake motion for action. A common mistake. A fury of activity doesn’t mean you’re doing anything. When you find yourself moving too quickly, doing too many things at once, this is a good reminder to stop. Slow down. Focus.
5. Focus on the important actions. Clear the distractions. Pick the one most important thing you must do today, and focus on that. Exclusively. When you’re done with that, repeat the process.
6. Move slowly, consciously. Be deliberate. Action doesn’t need to be done fast. In fact, that often leads to mistakes, and while perfection isn’t at all necessary, neither is making a ridiculous amount of mistakes that could be avoided with a bit of consciousness.
7. Take small steps. Biting off more than you can chew will kill the action. Maybe because of choking, I dunno. But small steps always works. Little tiny blows that will eventually break down that mountain. And each step is a victory, that will compel you to further victories.
8. Negative thinking gets you nowhere. Seriously, stop doing that. Self doubt? The urge to quit? Telling yourself that it’s OK to be distracted and that you can always get to it later? Squash those thoughts. Well, OK, you can be distracted for a little bit, but you get the idea. Positive thinking, as corny as it sounds, really works. It’s self-talk, and what we tell ourselves has a funny habit of turning into reality.
9. Meetings aren’t action. This is a common mistake in management. They hold meetings to get things done. Meetings, unfortunately, almost always get in the way of actual doing. Stop holding those meetings!
10. Talking (usually) isn’t action. Well, unless the action you need to take is a presentation or speech or something. Or you’re a television broadcaster. But usually, talking is just talking. Communication is necessary, but don’t mistake it for actual action.
11. Planning isn’t action. Sure, you need to plan. Do it, so you’re clear about what you’re doing. Just do it quickly, and get to the actual action as quickly as you can.
12. Reading about it isn’t action. You’re reading an article about action. Ironic, I know. But let this be the last one. Now get to work!
13. Sometimes, inaction is better. This might be the most ironic thing on the list, but really, if you find yourself spinning your wheels, or you find you’re doing more harm than good, rethink whether the action is even necessary. Or better yet, do this from the beginning — is it necessary? Only do the action if it is.

I will let you know if I can abide by these rules and put myself into action.

A blueberry muffin is something that I don’t ever buy or eat. Even

• Builds your confidence up for your bigger desires.
• Because manifesting is supposed to be FUN!!!
• It will make you gorgeous and sexy. (Forgot you already are.)
• Creates a stronger overall vibration of attraction within you.
• Powerful reminder of how easy it is to manifest.
• Children in 3rd world countries are counting on you.
• Larry King and Oprah will want to interview you and hear your Blueberry Muffin Story!

So I’m thinking, I don’t need a blueberry muffin.  If I want one, I will just go buy one.  And poof, a manifesting miracle.  So, I decide to go for the cactus.  I wrote out “I want a cactus! Thank you.” and put it on my computer.  And I am waiting.
On Sunday, my son’s hockey game was delayed an hour and we were missing dinner.  So, my husband wouldn’t get grumpy, I told him I would get him a snack.  Hockey rink snack bars are not known for their nutritious fare, so I scanned the Doritos, hot dogs, french fries, and decided on a muffin.  I asked if I could buy a banana muffin (might as well try for a fruit serving).  Guess what the only kind of muffin they had left.  A blueberry muffin.

I actually didn’t think anything of it until I came into my office this morning and saw my cactus note.  Maybe I really did want a blueberry muffin.  I am still waiting for the cactus.

From Productive Flourishing, I was led to Seth Godin’s Blog: Chai Wallah, which says

It’s so tempting to do a little bit of everything. All the tools are there, a click away. You can be the designer, the copywriter, the head of customer service. Hey, you can even do the manufacturing or easily outsource it to a commodity producer. One benefit of diversification is that you can average out your risk.

Or you can be a wallah. Someone who does only that one thing.

And that led me to Chris Guillebeau’s blog, The Art of Non-Conformity, which writes

I think that the “say no to almost everything” advice is good for masters. If you’re at the height of your career or skill, it makes sense to be highly selective. If Tiger Woods says no to everything but practicing his swing every day, I get it. If Serena Williams never wants to leave the court, I understand.

But most of us are not Tigers or Serenas yet. Not all of us know what we want to do; not everyone is single-minded towards the pursuit of only one goal. Some of us have more than one passion.

So who is right?  What should we do?  Focus or diversify?

Both gentlemen talk about passion.  The Chai Wallah’s are passionate about their drink and, if you have that much passion, go for it.  Many of us have many passions, some you can make a living at, and some you can’t.

As a serial wallah, I find that I can be passionate and focused on one path, and that path can lead to another cool path.  Being masterful of one thing does not limit you, if perfects you.

It is possible to experiment with your passions: is it better to add a dash of instant coffee or cardamon on your chai?  Once you decide, master it.  Marcus Buckingham, of The One Thing You Need To Know, states that you should stop doing the things that you don’t like doing, so that you can focus more of your time on the activities you are passionate about.  Find out what gets your juice running and focus.