If you are like me, this is a little upsetting because it is fun to contemplate the meaning of life and what else there could be besides just this one precious life. But I don't think Thich Nhat Hanh or Buddha meant that you should not enjoy a good philosophical conversation. What they meant was that the more time you spend chasing after "the answer" to things that can't be known, the more of this precious life you miss out on.
When we are faced with the question of life and death, it's very disturbing to imagine that this one precious life might be all there is. Especially when there are threats of war, violence, death, and world destruction. It's hard to find our drive for creativity, our motivation to keep going, and our desire to put effort into life if we don't think there is "good reason". We want there to be a reward at the end, like a heaven, or prize, or some kind of promise.
It is taught that whenever the Buddha himself was asked about metaphysical questions, he remained silent. Pretty good answer! To answer is to get drawn into all kinds of mind games and the "What ifs" that lead to anxiety and suffering. But the point of the lesson is that if you get distracted by these "What ifs", you lose all sight of the present moment, which is the only place where reality exits.
This week we have heard endless stories about war and the invasion of Ukraine. The images are terrible to see and the stories are heart breaking. But it's very easy to get caught up as well into the terrible "What ifs" that leave us paralyzed and unable to find hope about the future. In the process, we miss out on what is really happening "right now". The more important question is , "How will you live your life right now", and that includes full awareness and response to this moment and the events happening in it.
There is a popular Zen story about a man who was shot in the chest with an arrow. Everyone tried to assist him in getting that arrow out, but he insisted on knowing all sorts of unanswerable details about the shooting of the arrow before he would let anyone try to save his life. Meanwhile he was dying from the wound. Of course, that is my shortened version of the parable, but maybe you get the point that spending all of our time trying to find answers to things we cannot know, is a waste of the one precious life we are living. It is a powerful lesson driven home by the Zen master Seung Sahn who made it the foundation of his teaching. One of his students later put together a book of his lessons and letters entitled, Only Don't Know.
When it comes to anxiety we can get ourselves stressed out about things that can't be known. Will I get in an auto accident? Will I get shot by an arrow? Will I have a job next week? Is there a divine entity? Will someone push the nuclear button?
A Zen master was asked by a student, "Is there life after death?" The Zen master replied, "How should I know? I've never died before!"
"Understanding means throwing away your knowledge."
~Thich Nhat Hanh
