Values, Purpose, and Drive
CONTEMPORARY ZEN PRACTICE AND INQUIRYVALUES, PURPOSE, AND DRIVEJuly 14, 2017 / Margaret SyversonA reflection on how we can be both more skillful andeffective in meeting the cries of the world.Greetings from Chicago! Today in Zazen I realized that weneed to be most alive to our values, purpose, and drive,and that if we can connect people strongly to these threeexistential qualities they will have astonishing capacities,especially when they come together. Obviously, valuesprovide the foundation of our actions. Sincerity simplymeans acting in accord with our values. Shame ariseswhen we have not acted in accord with our values or whenour values themselves have been revealed to us as lackingor inadequate.So it is extremely important to reflect on our values: wherethey came from, what they are, and how well they accord1/4---with wisdom, compassion, and clarity. In our Zen Buddhisttradition, the paramount value is the Bodhisattva vow, tolive and be lived for the benefit of all beings. Six aspects ofthis vow are expressed as the six paramitas, or practices ofperfection: generosity, morality, patience, energy,concentration, and wisdom.Sometimes people have a simplistic notion of values. Forexample, they might say their core value is “family.”But family is a topic, not a value. Where one person’s valuearound family might be “keep my family safe in adangerous world,” another person’s might be “shareadventures and experiences with family in a wide,fascinating, and kaleidoscopic world.” This is why it isnecessary to inquire, especially beyond simplisticslogans: What does it mean to keep a family safe? For oneperson, for example, it might mean guns and locks; foranother, lots of helpful information. so again, the universalsolvent is curiosity. We go deeper with every question: Whatthreat most concerns you? What troubles have you faced inthe past? and so on.But clarity about our values is not enough. We need adirection for mobilizing and expressing them in the world.We need a purpose, or a set of congruent purposes. Raisinga healthy, sane, caring child is a purpose, for example. Suchan effort entails other purposes, such as ensuring healthcare, quality schools, and so forth. Of course, every healthyset of purposes now includes the major challenge ofrestoring the health of our environment.So our values and purposes give meaning and direction inour lives. But there is one more critical factor: drive. InBuddhism the term for this is virya, energy, and it isexemplified in the Zen expression “to practice as if your hairis on fire.” This conveys the sense of urgency anddedication required, but not the scope. I would say weneed to practice as if our world is on fire, because it is.2/4---We keenly sense our limited, puny capacities as loneindividuals in the face of global catastrophes and largescale human needs. I once described this as trying to fillGrand Canyon with a teaspoon. But we do not havemillions of kalpas ahead of us. We must find ways toamplify our efforts. The best one I know of is to find otherswho share your values and purposes, and join forces. thenjoin these streams and join again until a mighty river ofshared effort and intention rolls out, carrying vast energeticcare for the whole world. Don’t wait. You must find yourpartners in the urgent, profound, and healing work ahead.My domain is spiritual practice, the incubator for healthy,life-sustaining values and clarity of purpose. But I cannotprovide the drive. That is the bottomless resource found ineach and every person, no matter how obscured it may beby despair, dread, anxiety, and self-doubt. I know thatluminous life force is there. I cannot forget it, and I feel a bitpart of my work is helping people remember it.Why are we here? We are here to save the planet, to nourishand support all living beings, and to live life as the Buddhaswe are. Sometimes we have to help each other recall whowe truly are.This is not a trivial task.So many things get in the way: everyday tasks, layers ofhabitual conditioning, past trauma, alarming events andcircumstances in the world, difficulties in relationships,losses, and a sense that something is lacking, in ourselvesor in our world. But all of these can and must berelinquished as unnecessary distractions and hindrances toour values, purposes, and drive—our vow, in other words.When we stay connected in this way, our limitations aremerely a way our contribution gets shaped, and we beginto develop skillful means for working with them, inourselves and in others.3/4---Remember the Buddha’s story in the Lotus Sutra of thefather whose children are playing in a burning house. Thisis our present world situation. Will we be the children,blissfully and stubbornly playing with our toys as the flamesdevour us, or will we be the desperate but resourcefulfather who skillfully entices those children to come outsidefor even better toys? What will it take to bring a wholecivilization out of the flames it's created for itself, playingwith matches? We need to find out—and soon.So there is a genuine emergency here, and it is anemergency of human consciousness, as the Buddhataught. We must continue to help people wake up, feelempowered, and take action, together. As a sangha we arelearning how to do this, together. As we take what we arelearning back out into our everyday lives, we bring it intopractice. That is my deepest hope for a suffering world.ADMINISTRATIONCONTRIBUTE913 East 38th St., Austin, TX 78705Appamada is a 501 C (3) nonprofitContact us!supported by your contributions.Thank you for your generosityJoin our email list and stayinformed!and care!All content on this site is © Appamada 2009-2026Appamada is a trademark of Appamada, in use since January 1, 20094/4
