Short Story: John visits a Zen master, in his Zen monastery, and takes his dog along with him

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John was on a visit to a Zen monastery, and he wanted to have a meeting with the head monk there, who was renowned for assessing the life position of anyone, with just a quick cursory glance at them. Sure enough, John got his meeting, and he asked the Zen master about where he was himself right now in his life. The master looked at him for a few long minutes. Then, he simply said to John. "Right now, you are dead, and you want me to be alive in you." "That never works." "Go live as you, and forget about your wanting me to tell you something about you, and how for you to live as you." "Let your real self be itself within you. Let it come through. Do not block it with other's teachings, summations, and words." "There is nothing more important to do but to be yourself." "Your quality of life comes from your ability to see love in all things, and then from your doing what is pretty much the most loving thing of all, of your being yourself, without the regret, or the unhappiness, of the non-acceptance, of yourself being yourself." "Take a lesson from your dog, and be the dog in your dog, like that it, your dog, always is. Stop trying to learn to bark first. Just be yourself, and your bark will naturally come out of you then too." Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com The Zen master told John to be the dog in himself, instead of dogging himself, with himself, to be himself. We should do the same.