Luís on the Keyboard

Start walking

Someone once asked Yunmen Wenyan, - How can I find the Way? He replied, - Start walking.

I’ve been reading Zen Baggage, a book where Bill Porter describes a pilgrimage through sites associated with the first six patriarchs of Zen.

It’s mostly a very historical book, filled with some personal passages, almost like a travel diary. But every now and then, there’s a little gem of some Buddhist monk which relates so well to everyday life.

The Way, in Yunmen Wenyan’s conversation, refers to the way to enlightenment, but it can easily be adapted to the way to your career, the way to fulfillment.

I think the main idea here (and indeed, in Buddhism) is that no one can tell you how to find the Way - you have to walk your own path and find your own way through experience.

As an old professor and a good friend of mine once told me:

You can’t live life through other people’s experiences.