the gateless gate

It is a relief, finally, to ripen into the understanding that there is no place to go, to find wisdom. It is all right here. There is no need for a goal, a special place to reach for. My garden, at 60, is what it is. If all I do is prepare a garden bed, it is enough. If I get plants in, it is enough. If I get a harvest, it is enough. Now, finally, none of it is a "have to." No production farm with endless rows of corn to be weeded.

The greatest lesson, which took 60 years to learn, is to rest in, to take refuge in, what is happening right now. Giving it my full attention. Being mindful of this bale of straw, this blackberry vine. The sun now. The rain now. Not some super garden of the future. It is just like the spiritual life - there is actually no place to get to! The place to get to, to be in union with the One - is right here! Where we are in this moment, is everywhere we wish to be.
There is no gate, there is no path, there is only the present. The Kingdom of God is right here, before us.
This is satori.
Isn't it a relief?
Why did it take so long to learn this simple fact of reality?
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