I ran into some interesting literature the other day. What I got out of it was that if I sat down and focused on nothing, it promised to make me a super cool dude. No worries ahead if I stayed present focused on now, with an anchor on my breathing to avoid spending time in the past or the future.

And so I read more interesting literature on the subject. And the more I read, the cooler I became. All the promises in those books just kept me hooked like an addict on a reading frenzy.

I knew that if I read and sat enough I would win the prize. Something BIG.

I spent lots of money on books, zafus, seiza benches, Buddha statues, all because I was going to win THE PRIZE OF THE CENTURY.

Well. I am sad to say that I was defrauded. There were warning signs in the books or a knowing smile at the Treeleaf Sangha. There were even signs during sitting.

There is no prize. Zero. Zilch. I was had. And the worse part is that I can’t get my money or effort back. There is NOTHING to get. I am stuck. There is nowhere to go.

Don’t be fooled like me because you will get NOTHING!

And that’s not such a bad thing.

Gassho, John