Sometimes a Zen master will whack a pupil with a stick to bring their awareness into the present moment. We, and when I say "we" of course I mean "me", are often living in our own heads, thinking of the future or the past. We actively imagine something else or somewhere else, ignoring what is right in front us.
I try as much as possible to get out into the world beyond my own brain, to feel the sun, wind, or rain on my skin, to hear the birds and smell the trees and still I get distracted. But the world is full of Zen masters.
I was intent on my camera, walking with my eyes and lens zoomed in on a distant goose, when a SLAP! brought me into the moment just a few feet away. A beaver I'd damn near stepped on jumped into the water, smacking his tail as he dove. He then surfaced and circled back. "What part of 'be here now' don't you understand?" he seemed to be saying. Of course I was already regretting the great shot I'd missed as I took a couple of mediocre shots of my damp teacher. I still have so damn much to learn. It's a good thing the world is filled with so many teachers.
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