We could be lazy, throwing to the wind any aspiration or ambition. We could lie on the beach, close our eyes, and listen to the surf. We could smile at the cactus sprouting new growth and a single blossom. We could watch our disabled squirrel land on the ground so awkwardly. We could watch the sun play hide and go seek with the clouds. We could hold our loved ones, steadily, lazily, without moving, where our breathing becomes one with theirs. We could just sit on a cushion like Buddha and do nothing. We could be lazy and who would notice? Others might be so busy that they wouldn't even see one doing nothing-one simply enjoying the fruits of their simple presence on the Earth.
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Q: I wonder if the Buddha would say he was doing nothing when he sat on the cushion.
A: I think busy and lazy are states of mind. Maybe there is something like “simply present” that would be a middle way. You wouldn't be laid back, but you also wouldn't be up tight. Where are we on that continuum? The cactus exemplifies that, waiting so patiently through winter and bursting forth in the spring when no one is looking.
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