Pure Mountain Tao

When I was first studying Zen and Tao, I wanted to rid myself of impatience and anger. I knew it would take some time. After a while, I looked at myself and I was still impatient and got angry over trivial things. It dawned on me that it was not going to be an overnight process or even many overnights. It was going to take a long time to overcome so many years of negative thought patterns. Even to this day, I still occasionally get impatient at times or maybe even angry, but now I know what to do or not do with those feelings. I recognize them and then let them pass. If we do not let our feelings get a hold on us, we are being successful.

The moon’s the same old moon,
The flowers exactly as they were,
Yet I’ve become the thingness
Of all the things I see!

- Bunan