Zen Story: Living with bated breath leads to abatement of realness of living

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The great, and world-renowned Zen master, Zoralie Rispoz, was dying, after a long life of 83 years. His students gathered around his deathbed, waiting for his final breath, as they hoped also that he might impart a final wisdom word, or two too, as was the want of a lot of dying Zen masters. Zoralie looked around. They, his students, all were waiting with bated breath, for anything that he might say. "Harumph," the master said, "Why wait, go now." "My words have never been worth waiting for, nor worth recording. Look at my life instead, and see a sort of perfection in it, as all lives have too. Live your own life, say your own words, stop trying to worship my words, and to copy them for yourself," and he died. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, freeimages.com "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." Oscar Wilde, (1854 to 1900) the Irish poet, and playwright said this. It is a most powerful message for us all to take on board, as the Zen master, in my short story, was also trying to say this to his students, when he died.