The Stillness Within--Diana Zen

The Stillness Within

This past few weeks have been quite eventful and exhausting. No matter how ideal life is, there will inevitably be many days that I come home completely physically-drained. Inconsistency and unpredictability are the nature of life. Nothing in life is everlasting. Samsara keeps us within the Karmic realm. One must indeed live with Compassion, Wilful Determination and the Inner Light to navigate and overcome life’s infinite challenges.

"Work is an unavoidable part of daily life and is a valuable opportunity for self-reflection and living in the Dharma."

In my culture the career path is descriptively called “nghe nghiep.” I think this terminology for the career path is truly accurately. “Nghe” is an occupation and “nghiep” is the Karma. No matter one’s profession or job status, work is ultimately simply a means for “rice each day.” The present life path is afterall the fruit of the past doings. Work is an unavoidable part of daily life and is a valuable opportunity for self-reflection and living in the Dharma. As outer circumstances come and go, I look within and keep at Inner Peace, Karma, “nghiep,” shall dissipated and negated as they arise. Keeping firmly still inside as life fluctuates outside, work is no longer a “nghiep” and instead transforms into a time of peaceful stillness within.

Life is a web of entanglements. Both the positive and negative fruits are the next build blocks for a castle in the sand. Ultimately, all is impermanent in life. Karma is an influential force in everyday life. Daily circumstances may drain me physically. However, the outer circumstances shall not affect my inner spiritual fortitude.

"As outer circumstances come and go, I look within and keep at Inner Peace,
Karma, “nghiep,” shall dissipated and negated as they arise."

Inner determination propels me steadily onward along the spiritual path, as I am presented with the challenges of life. Rome was not built in a day. Keeping at an Inner Peace, I shall dissipated and negate Karma as it arrives. I strive to make every moment counts along my spiritual quest, no matter what my present may be. Why does one wish to remain in Samsara to repeatedly re-experiencing life’s fleeting sunny and rainy days? The one path to true Freedom is transcendence into Nirvana where the duality of life is ultimately extinguished.

 Diana Zen
 Zen Moon
 April 5, 2014