Sunday, March 30, 2014

So what is there to realize?

Peonies bloom on peony trees.
A cat doesn’t become a chicken.
Tulips are tulips, not roses.
Why can’t we realize this true fact?
That to be me is great.
I don’t have to be anyone but me.
I am blooming as I am in my life, just as a peony blooms on a peony tree.
Further, a beautiful peony flower does not worry about when it will wilt and fall to the ground.
It does not compete with the flower next to it;
rather it blooms with its whole self.


-- Sensei Ogui from "Zen Shin Talks"