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Zen

Wednesday 30th May 2007 01:12 in Human Relations

I am not mystical at all but the fact is that some of the teachings of Zen Buddhism are valid. It is not a religion and does not entail worshipping imaginary gods or “sacred” texts; it is more a way of thinking about life - a philosophy (although I prefer to reserve the term philosophy for its academic use). I have a lot of time for it, and have had for many years.

One of the teachings of Zen is that if you stop wanting something, you are more likely to get it. This mismatch would seem at first to be very unfortunate, but it tends to be true. Now, why is this? Is it because of some weird karma or something else mystical? No. It can be explained rationally.

When you want something, it introduces a tension into your life, an anxiety - a visible anxiety which others will notice and which can itself preclude the achievement of your aim in a variety of ways.

Few problems can be solved, and few desires satisfied, directly. They are best approached obliquely. Concentrate on the surrounding pieces, and the key pieces of the jigsaw will fall into place.

In addition to this, the situation is perhaps not so unfortunate, because you are more likely to be a worthy recipient of the prize when you no longer depend on winning it. You show yourself to be a strong and responsible holder of the position. In short, folks - charity begins at home.

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