When we give everything we have, we have nothing left. When we participate with our whole heart, we are both empty and fulfilled.
Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said, “When you do something you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” And I wondered if I did give my all in every situation.
Immerse yourself in creativity
It’s easy for me to get lost when I write. I, as a person, simply watch as the words flow through me onto the computer. I’m not even a middleman anymore. I’m like a cord plugged in, simply conducting current from one place to another.
When you truly lose yourself in your work, you disappear and the only trace of your presence is in the work you create.
Immerse yourself in learning
Hours go by when I’m trying to learn something. It may be a tutorial or a set of instructions. It may be when I’m practicing a chosen craft or figuring out a new way to apply what I know. The energy of the idea is there, but I don’t feel my own presence. When I immerse myself in learning, there’s a feeling of being a conduit that produces a result that can then be shared.
Immerse yourself in the present
I’m getting better about allowing life to unfold. I simply observe what shows up and make a choice in the moment. The Suzuki quote above appeared in a post that crossed my desk with the interpretation of not leaving a trace on the planet. My take is about immersing yourself so deeply in the moment that you are not there – only the energy of Tao and what has been chosen to be shared is active.
Mere minutes passed between my reading the quote and my beginning to write this post with my own interpretation. The connection and translation was almost immediate.
Embrace the state of not-doing
Wu wei means not-doing. In “Do Nothing and Do Everything”, Qiguang Zhao says, “Wu-wei is a behavior that arises from a sense of being connected to the world. Your inner voices, the voices of nature, and your intuition are your connection to the Tao.”
To get out of the way, to leave no trace of ourselves, we have to rely on our inner voice to share its message, the voice of nature to show us how to live in the moment and our intuition to show us what to do next. Then we disappear and the communication is complete.
Give yourself completely to whatever you do. Lose yourself in the creation, the process, the emergence of the ideas. Get out of the way and simply allow things to happen.
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
Live Like Water
Stoking the Fire Within
The Length of Your Reach
Mindfulness as a Path to Self-Awareness
Can You Learn to Do Everything Through Being
45-How to Become a Mindful Presence
35—How to Hold the Space for Change.
