And the net appears.

"Leap and the net will appear." 

--Zen saying, on a clothing label

I have heard this Zen koan batted around a few times since starting to pay attention to that sort of thing. It's one of those that I heard, liked, wrote down, and didn't assimilate into my being at all. Until recently. 

When I was making the decision to quit my job, it was one of the quotes that kept rattling around in my brain, nagging at me. "You SAY you believe this. Are you willing to put it to the test?" 

And that was part of the reason I said, "YES!" to taking what felt like a leap off of a tall building into the great unknown. I wanted to leap and see if the net would appear. I wanted to see if everything I believe is true. I wanted to really trust the Universe and have it come through for me.

I am happy to report that it did. 

Just days after I gave my notice we got a call from our brother-in-law asking if he might be able to use our kitchen for a commercial shoot he was working on. They needed an "average kitchen" (read: no granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances or cherry cupboards). 

We said, "Sure!" And with that, the first net slipped into place. We got the commercial and with it enough money to cover my salary for the next two months.

A few days after that I was emailing with the marketing manager at my job about my last blog post for them. She asked if I might want to continue blogging for the credit union as a "member blogger" instead of an employee blogger. 

I said, "Sure!" And with that, the second net slipped into place. 

I had my first writing job and I hadn't even left yet. 

As I continue to walk my walk I am noticing more and more opportunities all around me. The Universe is throwing up net upon net upon nets to support me as I leap into the unknown of this new life. And I am grateful.

When have you leaped and had the net appear? I would love to hear your stories in the comments.

LIFE

"Revenge is a poison meant for others that we end up swallowing ourselves." 

--From a Zen tape Charlie Crews  listens to on Life, Season 1, Episode 2 

"It is not what we carry with us, but what we let go that defines us." 

--Charlie Crews from Life, Season 2, Episode 9

Recently I have been re-watching Life, a television series that had a two-season run a few years ago. Available to stream on Hulu for free, Life is a show about a cop who is framed and sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit. 

In prison he discovers Zen, which helps him survive. After twelve years he is exonerated thanks to DNA technology and, armed with a promotion and a large financial settlement, he returns to policing, but with a decidedly Zen twist. Not your typical police procedural, the show is quirky, witty, funny and wise. 

It's a show about how to live your spirituality in a world that doesn't quite get it. In other words, it's about LIFE.  

[I am about two-thirds of the way through the series so will post more gems as they come up, but these are my favorites so far. Enjoy!]

The Wisdom of BOTH

"Do not cling to anything, to any idea; because clinging is the bondage, even to the idea of enlightenment."

--Osho

"To gain enlightenment, you must want it as much as a man whose head is held under water wants air."

--Zen saying

Whenever I give my husband a choice between two things his answer is always the same: BOTH. 

It used to drive me CRAZY because I was raised in a world where you can't have BOTH. You can have one or the other, but not both. In his world BOTH is always an option and it is always the one he chooses. 

These quotes came, less than two weeks apart, from my Wisdom of the East Mini Day-to-Day Calendar. I had to laugh when I read the second one, because I remembered liking the first one and posting it on my fridge. 

I quickly found it and posted them together, held up by the same magnet, side by side. 

Every couple of days I would read them, laugh, and then put them back together where they belong.

Some days I know it is my desire for enlightenment that gets in my way.  I am trying too hard and by trying, missing the point.

Other days what holds me back is that I do not want it nearly enough. Because achieving enlightenment would mean giving up things that my ego values like pride, jealousy, gossip, righteousness and anger.

On the days when I pause and ask myself to decide - really - which of these quotes I believe to be TRUE the answer I get is always the same: BOTH 

Or as the Buddha said, "I gained nothing at all from supreme enlightenment, and for that very reason it is called supreme enlightenment."

"Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening."

Zen saying

"Move and the way will open."

Zen Proverb from my Wisdom of the East 2010 Mini Desk Calendar

"Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less."

5 Zen Rules for Happiness