Each Day A New Begining

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In the Japanese Zen tradition there is a wonderful teaching story of a seeker who went to a Zen master and requested to be a student. The seeker was proud of his previous accomplishments and was not very modest in his approach to the Zen master. The master invited him to have a cup of tea and poured tea into the seeker’s cup. The cup was overflowing and yet the master kept pouring. The seeker said, “The cup is full, it cannot hold anymore.” The master replied, “ And so are you. I cannot teach you anything new.” This story reminds us of the need to live each day with curiosity, to embrace whatever situations are placed before us with openness, and a willingness to learn.

We are living in challenging times where our very survival on a personal and planetary level is being threatened. It is obvious that we need to change our habitual ways of living and be open to a whole new paradigm, if we are to survive. How do we cope and continue to hold a vision of a future where the planet and the well being of all people will continue to flourish? There is no easy answer. I have found that the best solution is to take life one day at a time. We each need to take personal responsibility for our own wellbeing. How we live our own lives has a ripple effect on others whom we encounter in our day to day interactions.

The Reiki Principles are a good guideline for healthy living:

Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today I will not worry.
Just for today I will not be angry.
Just for today I will do my work honestly.
Just for today I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing.

Following these principles creates a spaciousness in our lives. It helps us to be open to other possibilities for something new to happen. The Zen Master, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi said, “If your mind is empty it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” If we continue to live like the seeker in the Zen story, without emptying our cups of old patterns, the outlook for future generations will be dismal. In following the Reiki principles we are being asked to open our hearts and minds to embrace a new way of relationship to ourselves and to others. When we face our challenges with an attitude of caring for ourselves and caring for others, we begin to heal ourselves at a level that affects our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. If we each take the step towards ownership of our personal healing by living these principles, the possibility for a new world harmony is hopeful, and each day a new beginning.