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In Buddhism Soto Zen we recite every day the sutra of great wisdom, where mushotoku, practice without looking for anything in return, It is a central term. But, How to do something without expecting anything in return? When we sat in zazen, We do not pursue special states or accumulate merits. It is not about achieving a spiritual prize or getting our life to fit into an ideal mold. Practice mushotoku is to surrender fully to the present moment, as it is, With a confidence that does not depend on expectations. As Dogen said, The practice itself is already lighting. There is not a after or beyond where a promise must be fulfilled; The real happens here and now.
Anyone who has been practicing for a while knowing that practice contributes tangible benefits naturally. The body sits, breathing calms down, The mind is still, Life is ordered. Subtle changes arise that can improve our relationship with the world and with other people. Is this a contradiction? Not necessarily. We could say that they are natural fruits of a seed that was not planted to produce anything in particular. Like a wild flower that springs in a field: was not sown with an end, But his presence beautifies and transforms.
If we rejected any idea of benefit, we would fall into one end: that of a rigid spirituality that denies the concrete experience. And, instead, We only practice to obtain results, we would fall into the other end: The instrumentalization of meditation as a performance technique or rapid therapy. The middle path shows us that both dimensions can live together. We can recognize the fruits of the practice without making them our goal. We can practice without the intention of obtaining and, at the same time, thank the benefits that are manifested.
The same happens in everyday life. Let's think about someone who begins to meditate because he feels discomfort. At first, The mind runs, Thoughts are agitated, And it seems that nothing improves. Over time, without proposing it, Note that sleeps better and reacts with less tension in discussions. That benefit appears, But if it converts practice only into "my remedy for discomfort", Sooner or later it will be frustrated when the mind agitates again. Instead, If you are still without demanding anything, The fruits appear for themselves, as stations that arrive without being summoned. Another example is that of someone who meditates to "be more spiritual". With that idea, expect to achieve special experiences: lights, visions, absolute calm. If they do not appear, Feel failure. But when you stop looking for those states and simply feel, Discover the freshness of being alive here and now, With everything that brings each breath. And that freshness becomes the real benefit, Although he was never wanted. It also happens in the ordinary: A person who practices zazen every morning, Not because I expect something concrete, but because its day begins. Without proposing it, Note that he drives with more patience, that you listen better to your children, that responds more calmly at work. I didn't seek to improve those facets, But practice permeates life as water that water a dry land.
In the end, mushotoku It is not a slogan that we should repeat ourselves, but the natural way in which life unfolds when we stop trying. We practice without goal, As the river flows without knowing where it is going, How the flower opens its corolla without asking who looks at her. Y, even so, The water water, the perfume flower, The wind cool. Sit in zazen It is so: Nothing to reach and, however, Everything is transformed. The benefits appear as reflections on the surface of the water, But the depth is in the gesture of sitting without expecting anything, trusting in life as it is. That is the middle path: Do not deny the fruits, Do not chase them, Simply live in practice itself, Where nothing is missing and nothing is left.