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Old 12-23-2008, 11:09 AM   #19
lbb
Location: Massachusetts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,202
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Re: this year I will......

Quote:
David Henderson wrote: View Post
Mary,

I'm sorry, but I didn't. What is the reference?

Respectfully,

David H
There are actually a number of similar sayings by various Zen masters. The one I'm thinking of was written by Gudo, who said:

I laugh at my ten-year pilgrimage-
Wilted robe, tattered hat, knocking at Zen gates,
In reality, The Buddha's law is simple:
Eat your rice, drink your tea, wear your clothes.


We're all different, but for myself, the more goals I set myself, the less I am able to achieve, it seems like. Or, perhaps I achieve as much or more, but it just seems like less. It's hard to say. I know that for me, making lists about what I will do (today, next week, in the new year) is...well, not always an exercise in futility, but it's something I have to be careful about. I've had my apple cart upset plenty of times in life, leaving the proverbial best-laid plans all over the ground in pieces -- and even when that doesn't happen, I find that the changes I go through as a person cause many goals to outlive their usefulness. Thus, the very phrase "this year I will" gives me a bit of a rash.
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