There's a great blues song that goes 'lay my burdens down, Lord, lay my burdens down'. What do we do with our daily burdens? How do we live with what troubles us, with a faltering earth, war ravaged nations, global aids, impoverished and dislocated people, or just the stress of keeping up in our economy? Does the famous Paul Reps poem 'Drinking a cup of tea I stopped the war' bring us comfort? Does Suzuki Roshi's profound comment 'Welcome your troubles' give us a path to inner peace?
Zen practice has taught me that there is a balance between stillness and movement, between a wide and calm acceptance and a disturbing yet compassionate engagement. I was terrified of a nuclear holocaust when I was a child, a reality that Hiroshima and Nagasaki residents experienced. As a consultant I once helped a company better it's nuclear waste disposal system. As a Zen student I spoke out at a rally for nuclear disarmament.
Tuning in to what ails us is a first step. We have learned to not recognize or accept what burdens us sometimes. Other times we drown in it or glorify it. We can stubbornly refuse to change it. We can cling to it, deny it, push it away, fix part of it, blame somebody for it....there is a long list of unwholesome postures we can take with our burdens. Learning to accept a burden, rest in the larger miracle of being alive, putting it into perspective, slowly planning resolution, walking into the light, holding hands with friends....
When do we lay our burdens down, when do we pick them up, and what lies in between? A Zen dilemma if there every was one. This is a place where holding the question seems more important than seeking the answer.
Lay My Burdens Down
