The World is Too Much with Us

The World is Too Much with Us

I feel the weight press against my chest. It comes from some twisted expectation. I am sure you don’t know that pressure. You keep your self busy and near to becoming somebody. That’s the winning hand; becoming somebody. It’s not true.

You have to find out for yourself what is real and what isn’t. It is a big job and you have to want to see it.

 

Here’s a tiny taste of how it works.

Everything, yes, every damn thing falls apart and disappears. That is the simple truth of the games and plays on this board we call, life. At some point in time, if you are lucky, you will see it for yourself. You may not understand it, but you’ll see it. When you see it, you then get a chance, a lucky dip, a lucky moment to stop and pause and reflect on what is going on here. If you don’t take the chance, well all I can say is that I wish and hope that you get another chance to strike it rich. Oh, not the rich of getting and having the things of the world. All the stuff shipping and arriving in one gargantuan exchange of goods, but the immeasurable wealth of finding out what you are. You won’t believe it. You may think this is just more tripe. It’s not tripe it’s an opportunity to end suffering; your suffering. Yeah, your suffering. All the feelings, body misery, mental formations, impulses, and the mess-of-your-life suffering.  That’s the promise of all respectable religious traditions.

What’s the catch?

Glad you asked. There is no catch, but there is a price. It’s an odd thing this price. It’s odd because no one makes any profit on it but YOU. Yeah, you profit from paying the price.

What is that price?

A very important question. I am glad you asked.  Well, let me reassure you it is not a Ponzi or a Pyramid scheme. There’s no exchange of cash for goods promised. No cash at all. It is freely offered and freely given.

Yeah, I can see you’re skeptical. That’s just fine. Doubt is often a reaction to such an offer. Because what is offered is work-you-do or not. You see, it’s all up to you. It comes without warnings, coercion, judgment, and all the stuff that might make things worse than what is.

The price is what you are willing to pay. You set the price based on what you want.

Ah. Where do I get this…ah…what do I call it? What is it called?

I understand. Hard to fit it in anywhere in what we generally know and experience. Let’s call it training. Daily training right where you are in your everyday life. It doesn’t require special equipment or special outfits or special anything.

1. Now I see. What’s the catch?

I see you’re still skeptical. OK. That’s fine. And actually, I understand the doubt. I keep telling you what it isn’t. Fair enough. It’s training you to find out what you are? It often is said that the price is …to study yourself, to forget yourself…” then life, your life is liberated from…the world…which is too much with us.

But say, this is just the tip of your nose. If you’re interested, if you want to find out more…we are offering a retreat in November on ZOOM. If you want to know more about it, send your questions to the teacher, Marilyn at laodizhishakya@gmail.com.

Author: Fashi Lao Yue

ZATMA is not a blog.

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[1] Wordsworrth, William. 1802, “The World is Too Much with Us.”