Good News, Bad News.
"I live by letting things happen." - Dogen
Lessons in Zen
One day in late summer, a farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he let his horse loose to go up in the mountains and live out the rest of its life.
Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, “What a shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are! You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?”
The farmer replied: “Who could say? We shall see.”
Two days later the old horse came back rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainside while eating the wild grasses. Returning with him were twelve new and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral.
Word got out in the village of the farmer’s good fortune and it wasn’t long before people stopped by to congratulate him on his good luck.
“How fortunate you are!” they exclaimed. You must be very happy!”
The farmer softly said, “Who could say? We shall see.”
At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer’s only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer’s son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg.
One by one the villagers arrived to bemoan the farmer’s latest misfortune. “Oh, what a tragedy you have had! Your son won’t be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You’ll have to do all the work yourself. How will you survive? You must be very sad,” they said.
Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, “Who could say? We shall see.”
Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor’s men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor’s army. As it happened the farmer’s son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. “What very good fortune you have!!” the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away.
“You must be very happy.”
“Who could say? We shall see.” replied the farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.
As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. “Oh what bad luck you have; too bad for you!”
But the farmer replied simply, “Who could say? We shall see.”
As it turned out the other young village boys died in the war and the farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands.
The farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: “Oh how fortunate we are; you must be very happy” to which the farmer softly calmly said, “Who could say? We shall see.”
Finding equanimity in these times can be super challenging. Going about my daily life in uncertain times, I feel myself becoming the villagers - my mood swinging high and low with the change of news at the moment. I am riding an emotional roller coaster.
When I sit down to meditate or write or walk or create, I am the farmer - grounded, open minded, open-hearted, kind, curious, in the present moment.
I am learning to find equanimity in these uncertain times - by sitting and being, watching, observing, practicing non-judgment.
What comes next?
Who could say? We shall see.
Blessings on your path,
Beth