A MESSAGE FROM MS JEN

There is a story of a young, but deep Zen student who asked the Master,
“If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?”
The Master thought about this, then replied,
“Ten years.”
The student then said,
“But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast – How long then?” Replied the Master, “Well, twenty years.”
“But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?” asked the student.
“Thirty years,” replied the Master.
“But, I do not understand,” said the disappointed student.
“At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?” Replied the Master, “When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.”

This is an important lesson for all of us. When students focus on the goal – they may miss the path. If students focus on trying to improve, learning how to fix their mistakes, and do better next time, then they are focused on the path.

We all must remain focused on the path, enjoy the journey and we will all reach our goals!