SHIN JIN MEI | 信心銘- DAY SEVEN

"Pursue not the outer entanglements,
Dwell not in the inner void;
Be serene in the oneness of things,
And dualism vanishes by itself."

Every day, there are countless worries vying for our attention. On top of this, there are the manifold accouterments of the small self that we cultivate and preen for the world. It is not hard to get trapped here - the story is so compelling because it is the story we have written ourselves. The eccentricities of the narrative perfectly match our fancies. These are not worthy of our pursuit.

Conversely, and perhaps more surprisingly, we are asked by Sōsan not to dwell in the inner void. It is a special form of Zen sickness that we cultivate a vacuous place and try to cast our mind into it. This won't do either - it is emptiness only in a shallow sense, and doesn't resemble the boundless śūnyatā that our ancestors point to. This is not the Way.

Instead, be serene in the oneness of things, savor the full interconnectedness of this present infinite moment, and dualism vanishes by itself. Just be here now.