Nowhere to come or go

Nowhere to come or go, only here

Shunryu Suzuki writes a short sentence in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. There is nowhere to come or to go. It sounds puzzling in a world built around destinations, promotions and progress. Yet Suzuki points to an experience of complete presence, where nothing is missing and no journey is required to become whole.

Most of us live with a sense of incompleteness. We believe happiness waits at the next milestone. Once we finish the project, buy the house or reach the goal, then we will rest. However, each arrival quickly becomes a new starting point, and the feeling of lack returns.

Feeling that there is nowhere to come or go

Zen practice invites a different experience. Sitting in meditation without trying to reach anything, we discover moments of completeness. The breath is here. Sounds are here. Awareness is here. Therefore, peace does not depend on getting somewhere else.

This does not mean abandoning goals. Plans and ambitions still guide action. The difference is that they no longer carry the burden of making us whole. For example, a runner can train for a marathon while enjoying each run for its own sake.

The idea also eases anxiety about the future. If there is nowhere essential to reach, then each moment has value in itself. Moreover, we can face uncertainty with more calm.

Travellers sometimes feel this unexpectedly. Sitting in a quiet square, with no schedule, they experience deep contentment without any destination in mind.

Daily life offers similar chances. A slow coffee or an evening walk can become moments of arrival.

In the end, Suzuki’s sentence invites us to stop searching for a moment. Here, now, we may find that we have already arrived.

In short, arrival is available now. Therefore, pause once a day and notice that nothing is missing in this moment. For example, sit for one minute after lunch. As a result, contentment becomes a regular visitor rather than a rare guest.

Keep reading

• Always the sky
• Remembering come back
• Old days