One by One - The end of the beginning

1つ1つ丁寧に生きましょう。(English) Let's live carefully one by one.

The 663rd "One by One - The end of the beginning -" 2022/10/31

1)

I have been practicing in a training dojo right after I graduated from college.

I have no friends from rural junior high, high school, or college.

2)

Only one person, a classmate from high school, sends me persimmons every year.

I am not sure when it was, but he quit the company he was working for and started making persimmons.

3)

He sent me those persimmons again this year.

As I looked at those magnificent persimmons, as I do every year, I thought to myself how great he was.

It must be quite a feat for him to spend an entire year, spring, summer, fall, and winter, taking care of his persimmons and producing such fine persimmons.

4)

Compared to him, I wondered what on earth I was doing.

At that time, I delivered videos of short talks daily, published many books, and taught many practicing monks.

However, I may have only soiled the pure hearts of the young practitioners.

6)

I listened to Mr. Yojin Koike of Sumatera Temple giving a talk on Michael Ende's "Momo."

He said that Mr. Fuzzy, the barber who appears in the story, had this thought.

7)

"Is this how my life is going to pass?"

Mr. Hoosier thought to himself.

"A life of scissors, chatter, and soap suds.

What's the point of my life?

When I die, people will forget me as if I never existed."

8)

In "Momo," a gray gentleman appears to Mr. Fudgie as he ponders these thoughts.

He says he is from the Time Savings Bank.

He is a time robber.

9)

The gentleman in gray says,

"Listen, Mr. Hoosier. You are wasting your life on scissors, chatter, and soap suds.

When you die, everyone will forget you, as if you had never existed.

If you had the time to live a decent life, you would be completely different.

In other words, what you need is time, right?"

10)

And he was told by the gray gentleman to cut out waste.

But even though he thinks he is saving time, the time thief takes it all.

He says he has no more time to spare, and he becomes irritable, angry, and melancholy.

11)

On the other hand, I was introduced to the words of an old man, "Beppo," a cleaner.

It was during a long road cleaning.

12)

He said, "Don't think about the whole road at once, do you understand?"

Think only of the next step, the next breath, the next sweep.

Always think about the next one."

13)

I take another break, think about it, and then it becomes fun.

It is the key. If you have fun, you can do your work well.

It has to be done this way.

14)

Then, after another long break.

"When I came to my senses, the road I had been on step by step was all finished.

I don't know how I did it, and I'm not even out of breath."

15)

This way of living, thinking only of one step at a time, corresponds to the Zen saying, "One step at a time, this is the dojo."　

Mr. Sasaki Shodo sent us a book titled "Kibei's Story."

(16)

It is the story of Kibei's late years, when his wife became ill and fell asleep, and he had to stay by her side for 200 days to take care of her.

When one of his companions asked him how tired he must have been after nursing her for so long, Kibei replied, "I have never known fatigue."

"I start each time and finish each time.

There is no need to start all over again."

17)

He said that each time he did it for the first time, it was the last time.

He does not think he will continue doing it one more time.

This thought of once is essential.

18)

Mr. Fougere says, "It's a life of scissors, chitchat, and soap."

It is also true that "If I die, people will forget me as if I had never existed. This is also true.

19)

But I don't think that is empty.

I don't consider each of my daily deliveries, each of my daily Zen questions and answers, to be empty.

I am proud of my life, even if people say that is all I have to live for.

20)

Each act of cutting with scissors has a one-time brilliance.

Each moment of chatting is an irreplaceable light.

It may be forgotten, but each moment is a life that shines brightly.

21)

I am engaged in the daily delivery of my messages, replying to letters, and Zen discussions with monks, and that is all.

Each of these is a joyous activity that shines brightly.

To do so, I want to have the feeling of starting and ending each action, as Kibei said.

22)

Mr. Koike also said, "Whenever you feel a sense of futility, why don't you be conscious of bringing your awareness back to the here and now?"

I realize that today is the last day of October.

Let us be mindful of everything we do.

I was thinking this as I looked at each persimmon.

The 663rd "One by One - The end of the beginning -" 2022/10/31 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt7VkL5fqoQ