Is it a 4-Letter Word?

There is a Chinese tale about an old Zen Master who works diligently in the monastery garden every day.  The young monks think he should take it easy, relax.  They know he won’t listen to them, so they hide his tools.  The next day, and the next and the next, the old teacher does not eat.  They young monks think, he is angry with us.  We better return his tools.  That day, the teacher works and eats as usual.  That night he tells his students, No work, no food.

The Zen Master knows that we must each contribute as much as we consume.  We give so we can take.  We grow so we can eat.  We clean so we can stay healthy.  Some of us resent all the time it takes away from more interesting pursuits.  Me, I’d rather be reading or practicing yoga.  Maybe you like to watch TV more than you enjoy vacuuming.  But let’s try to put WORK into perspective this week, and see that it is not just another four-letter word.

Turn on your awareness, and watch those you come in contact with this week.  See how they interact with their work, and try to find someone for whom work seems more like play.  In fact, I bet there are some aspects of work that you enjoy, so be on the lookout for that, too.  Then think about it (dare I say, meditate on it!).  Why do you resent vacuuming when it leaves you with a pleasantly clean floor.  Hey, maybe you should meditate on it while you’re vacuuming.  Perhaps next time you are writing that report at the office you can put a Buddha smile on your face and see if your attitude changes.  You get my drift.  Work with the awareness that you will get back what you give out. 

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