Take Care of This Life

Last evening I sat with a group at a place called "Evergreen Cove." It was the last meeting completing a study of a book by Jack Kornfield called "A Path With Heart." Where they left off was the chapter entitled, "Difficult Problems and Insistent Visitors."

Listening, I heard people talk about many things that generate problems in our day-to-day lives. At one point the discussion turned to culture and the question of, "Do we here in the West carry a different psychology than those in other places like Tibet, China, Japan, wherein Buddhism a very accepted or embedded part of culture."

Silently my mind reflected on something Pema Chodron had once said about how her teacher was asked "depression"and "self-hate" to the extent that a person would want to hurt themselves, by engaging in self-destructive behavior. She said the concept was so foreign to him they had to go to great lengths and explain it to him. After some time sitting quietly she said he shook his heard and said, "That's shocking," as though he could not fathom such a thing.

Th group asked for my thoughts and feelings on this. I related, "Being American, having lived here all my life, with plenty of time to consider and observe not just so-called "American," culture but experience others through my monastic experience when living at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, there are in fact differences.

My sense is that it's primarily related to cultural focus. Some cultures appear selfish and are about what we can take. Others are based on what can we share and give. Our (American) culture of financial wealth, money and it's connection to power are so over emphasized, it can throw individuals and the society off balance to the extent that inadvertently egotism... self-centeredness... self-obsession are dramatically exaggerated. We are often looking outside of ourselves rather than within for solutions. We can say, "sorry, you don't have insurance, you need to go to some other hospital," as they are actively in need of some sort of help.

Couple that with the minute to minute messages with which we are bombarded. These messages, constantly point out how were are always somehow lacking, deficient, defective, needing to buy and consume products to "fix" our various life problems. The result is, we can end up very emotionally and psychologically ill, like catching a cold that never seems to leave. We are disconnected, cut in numerous pieces on our psychological butchers table, not sure if were are competent or capable of putting the pieces of ourselves back together, unifying ourselves psychically, mentally and spiritually.

The common and recurrent "Difficult Problem and Insistent Visitor," is that we so often prepare for some other life, rather than dedicate our time and energy to the one that is here with us now. Take care of This life, not some other one that is not here. Take care of This life, as This life attempts to take care of us, despite the resistance of a self feeling it's lacking. Take care of this life, because that's the best that we can personally do.

May Your Life Go Well,

Jaye Seiho Morris, Curator
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