This flower, a cosmea, appeared out of nothing. A tiny brown seed was holding the immense beauty of a pink flower. But we couldn’t see it back then. Totally hidden, only a tiny seed. Than nourished by soil, sun and water it grew and finally flowered, when cause and conditions were right for it.
This particular cosmea took a long time this year until the bud broke open — according to circumstances (maybe too little sun etc. etc.) it arrived very late to the party. But it did arrive. Shortly after blossom the first frost came in and now the cosmea lost all of it’s vitality and died.
But does the cosmea worry about that? Like “Omg, I am late to the party!!! All the other cosmeas on instagram are already showing off in full blossom. Omg, I am no good! I am anxious now. I am not a good cosmea!”
No, cosmea doesn’t do that. Never worries. Has no insta, no facebook, no idea about „flowering“ or „dying“, because it has no thinking, so no idea of „I“. Cosmea just comes late to party, yet knows no stress. Totally relaxed, completely trusting and 100% depending on circumstances, yet totally independent because has no checking, no self-consciousness.
Only we human beings create such stress and suffering for ourselves, by checking us and others, by overthinking everything and by holding this thinking — that’s how we hurt ourselves and also effect all of the people around us. Only human beings have this idea of „I, My, Me“ — and hardly ever look deeply and focused enough into this urgent matter:
„What is this „I“? What am I?“
Flowering short time, flowering a long time or dying in the process without the bud even breaking open — what will it be? We don’t know. Nothing is under control. So we must trust the process, let go and let it be as it is and relax. No need for checking. Checking is so painful and kills trust. Without deep trust into things being ok as they actually are, we can never fully relax.
When we are not relaxed, the subtle energy necessary to flower cannot build up. So we cannot break through the bud, open up and flower. Because we are holding something inside and cannot let it go. That’s how we create stress and pain for ourselves because deep down inside, everyone wants to flower and achieve full potential as a human being.
So why human beings choose suffering? Why do we respect ourselves so little?
Because we want something and we don’t want to miss out at the party, that we want to arrive at, a party that we always imagine to be going on … somewhere else. Yet the only party we will ever arrive at is happening right now, right here. It is this very moment. No thinking or checking is required to arrive at that. Just be in the moment. This is the party happening right now — and you can never be late for that as long as you are alive and breathing.
How is that not enough?
Mu Bul is a Zen teacher (Senior Dharma Teacher/ Kwan Um Zen tradition) and Yoga practitioner. Also working as a life and career coach focusing on unlocking your potential with meditation and mindfulness training for greater focus, empathy, resilience and stress reduction.
