“There is nothing I dislike.”
“These are the extraordinary words of the great teacher Linji; they are a lifetime koan for anyone who dares to take it on. Lifetime koans like this one never give up on you, luckily. ‘There is nothing I dislike’ is daring and fragrant and alive, and it is like this because it’s like this. ‘There is nothing I dislike’ rearranges us profoundly, when we offer ourselves to its energy, its scrutiny, its disturbance in us.
To take on ‘There is nothing I dislike,’ or to let it take you on, is to allow the koan to darken you. It will take you into dark places, and you’ll have to find yourself and recognize yourself there. This practice is not about tidying up the world and making it clean and bright; it’s about recognizing the world as it is and finding right there the radical freedom of being.
The alternative is a kind of carefully scaled-down life. One that is still extravagantly rich in detail and variety and shot through with beauty despite all our efforts, since we live on the blue-green planet, but a scaled-down view of what it was we really wanted while we were here, so very briefly.”
~ Susan Murphy, Upside-Down Zen
This is something really big! Wish I could think that way- there is nothing I dislike- always!
By the way, it would be great if you read/review my short story Final Destination
It is big. I read it multiple times to let it marinate. Profound is the word that comes to mind. I’ll check out Final Destination. Thanks. Dave
I learned this many years ago and have even raised my kids to u detestable that there is nothing we dislike. The more my children grew the harder the task to teach them…but the more it meant to me. Now they are grown – and my daughter is teaching her children this. Soon my son and his wife will have children. Hopefully his influence will be Afro g in their lives. I dislike nothin is the best way to truly be in love with the gift of life as human. Thank you for sharing David.
Sheri, what an amazing role model you must have been to your children growing up and continue to be today. Wonderful…thanks for sharing.
I was the best I could be with what I knew David. But they turned out awesome for which I daily give thanks. Thank you for your kind words. Love, Sheri
I have to let this sink in…I want to be able to say this and mean it, at least to evolve to this..and yet, I’m not sure I can.
I’m not sure I can either. But as I said below (I started replying to comments from bottom up – don’t ask me why as I’m not sure why), I think I could benefit from movement in the suggested direction even if I couldn’t find myself getting all the way there.
Agreed.
remarkable!
Hi Mario. It is. Happy New Year!
I really, really like this. and, yes I had to read it a few times too! I’ll look her up, seeing she’s on my side of the world… deep thanks
I didn’t know that you were on the sunshiny side of the world…thank you. It is deep. And continues to have me thinking…
This is powerful stuff! I will definitely find a way to incorporate this concept into my life. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you. It certainly is…
To accept this is to be on a long, difficult journey, but with joy at the end of it.
Paul
Yes Paul. I agree with you.
Sorry. I can’t honestly say that. I don’t accept that just because that’s how the world is, that I have to like it (or at least not dislike it). What about serial child killers? Can I like that or not dislike that? I could list a lot of things, but maybe I’ve missed the point.
I think (but don’t know for certain) that the intent was not focused on the extremes, such as you suggest, but in the day to day activities and relationships where we encounter likes and dislikes.
In that case, I can live with that idea. The world is what it is and it isn’t all pretty, but we can learn to accept that.
Yes, I dislike genocide and all sorts of things. I like it as a first approach, to challenge our thinking and shake us. But I couldn’t hold onto it and I don’t think I would want to.
I’m not sure (no, I know) that I haven’t held onto it and certainly don’t know that I can. But I could certainly benefit with a move in this suggested direction. Aspirational in the highest order.
Wow, this one’s ‘fragrant’ all right!
Laughing. Fragrant in what context?
The outlandishness of the proposal (the stinkiness) is, I believe, the point. To slap us awake and out of habitual thinking. It makes us question thoughts and beliefs we take for granted. Always a good thing.
Thank you.
It takes courage to say “There is nothing I dislike” and mean what you say. Likewise, hate is easy but love takes courage.
Courage, will, discipline and a pile of other difficult behaviors….