Of course there is hope in Zen Buddhism, and the belief that the future begins in each moment!!
Of course!
We know the timeless, yet we work for today and we work for tomorrow. Every second is a new beginning, and we believe that if we are diligent and good, generally (not always, alas, as life is life) good things will result. Cast nets, and there will be fish. Plant seeds, and crops will grow. Not always, thus the years of famine in the Bible too. But most years, the crops and bounty will be what is needed.
God or no God, however, be good, be diligent and plant seeds and cast nets today. Life is transitory and changing (it is no more or less so than before you practiced Buddhism), but it is also fertile and willing to be nurtured like a farm field to be well tended. Life is not ALWAYS as we wish, but so long as we are breathing and walking, we can still walk on and walk forward. Pema Chodron is
wrong if she says that hope is not important in Buddhism (Does she really say such a foolish thing in her book? I can't believe that.) Of course, both Buddha and Dogen had hope for the future in nurturing their projects, teaching and caring for the people in their charge just like you care for your own family. Hope, like fear, in
EXCESS can be a problem if you
ONLY live for the future (or worry EXCESSIVELY about imagined troubles). However, reasonable, motivating hope and fear are good and necessary to life. Maybe that is what Pema meant? (Gee, when she wrote the darn book, didn't Pema have hope that somebody would ready it??
)
Don't try to "be present." Think about the future, work for the future, but do not be EXCESSIVELY ATTACHED to the future (or the present or past) or to outcomes. Work for your dreams and hopes in the future, but also learn to flow along with how life actually goes. This is the Dao. If you plant those seeds, more than likely the sun will shine and the rains fall, and they will grow. If you cast your nets, in all likelihood, you will catch your fish. The land and sea, while not always cooperative, are pretty dependable! Keep working and hoping. If they do not yield this year, well, try to get by as best you can, try to make do, try to survive, dust off and try again next season. If the doctor gives you an unwelcome diagnosis, take your medicine, keep hope ... you just might make it too.
"There is no place to go" in our practice, and each step is right here ... yet we keep on walking and stepping down the road.
No, it might not always turn out as you wish. In such times of sometime failure or disappointment ... flow with what happens. Don't be ATTACHED to your wishes or to outcomes. However, many dreams will be realized too if you keep hoping and working for them, and do not lose hope.
Sorry to run long.
Gassho, Jundo
STLah
PS - Zen also allows for God if someone wishes, or no God if someone wishes. God or no God, keep fetching water and chopping wood.