Living In Harmony With The Way It Is

"A theory of everything?

What is, is.

How simple can it get?"

Stephen Mitchell

In the practice of Zen (a word that simply means meditation), we have been given the secret to every question we can ever have about what we should do in our lives, and our place in the grand scheme of the Universe. Zen Masters sum everything up by saying, "What is, is - and what isn't, isn't." How much more simple can it get? 'What is', is another name for Reality, the way things are right Now. Not the way we think they should be, but even better: the way they actually are. In every moment, we are either in alignment and flowing with 'what is' or we are resisting it, and experiencing suffering as a result. In fact, you might notice that ALL of your suffering comes from thinking things should be different than the way they actually are.

For instance, if you are without a job; fear may arise - not because you don't have a job, but because your mind (the voice in your head) is telling a story that you 'should' not be without a job, and you cannot possibly be happy or at peace until you do have a job. The Reality is, you do not have a job right Now, nor are you suppose to have a job right Now. How can you know this? Because you don't have a job! When we simply drop the story that we should have a job (when we don't), we find ourselves in alignment with the Flow of the Tao (the present moment), and moving with the direction our life is actually moving in. And of course, this is true for every situation we encounter in our lives.

In this Flow, we align ourselves with the way things are, and Life has a way of becoming much more kind and benevolent, while showing us exactly where we need to go next (right Here) and how to get there (by being Present). In dropping our habitual resistance to whatever is appearing right Now, and allowing it to be, Life miraculously shows us the next step to take (or not take), in every unfolding moment. Suddenly, the solutions to the problems we have been seeking begin to show up in the process of life itself. The 'answers' to our questions become as obvious as simply noticing what is happening right Now; feeling the breeze on our skin, enjoying a cup of coffee or laughing at a funny movie. In the suchness of this moment, we might find the door to eternity swinging wide-open and showing us that; all there ever is, is right Now, and in being Here, we find we already have everything we need to be happy and at peace.