ZEN JOURNAL · The Strength of Awakening

One only gains the right to speak after truly experiencing.
Only through living it does understanding arise.

In the past, I resisted experiences.
Yet life continued to unfold quietly, regardless of my resistance.

When we can look at hardship with clarity,
we realize that the teachings we read in books are indeed true:

No storm, no rainbow.
Some lessons in life must be lived through.

If one can cross that threshold—
the one that has always felt impossible,
the one that life keeps leading us back to—
then awakening naturally follows.

But speaking of awakening is simple.
To live it is another matter.

The darkness can be long.
Sometimes it takes years, even decades.
This physical body—this vessel of bone and weight—
is heavy, slow to soften.
Without long, persistent inner work,
the power of karmic force can feel overwhelming.

Awakening demands great courage,
unyielding patience,
and the quiet persistence of water wearing through stone.

This is why many turn away—
the pull of craving, fear, pride, and doubt
consumes what little clarity remains.

And so, truth is always held
by only a few.

Yet I still wish:
May more people awaken.
May more souls remember.

Because once you truly awaken,
the lightness of the body and the clarity of the mind
feel far more alive
than living numb—
like a wandering soul simply moving through days.

有过实践，才有发言权。
经历过，才会有体会。

从前，我总在抗拒经历。
然而经历，却从未停下，它悄悄地发生，持续地推着我走向内心最深的地方。

当一个人愿意清醒地、坦然地去看自己的逆境，
就会发现——教科书说的其实都是真理。
不经历风雨，不会见到彩虹，
这是无法抹去、也躲不开的事实。

如果跨过了那个总是“考不过”的关卡，
走完那一个必须走过的人生课题，
那么觉醒，其实是水到渠成。

然而——
站着说话不痛这一句，并非讽刺，而是现实。
黑暗，也许真的会很漫长，
漫长到需要十年、二十年，甚至半生。

因为肉身太重，
情绪、习性、执念、恐惧——
像钢筋混凝土层层包裹着灵魂。

没有长时间的磨炼与对照，
“业力”便会将人牢牢捆住，让人无法解脱。

所以觉醒需要极大的条件：
耐心、觉知、信念、破除与重塑。
像水滴石穿，不急不躁，却从不停止。

对大多数人来说，这的确“太难了”。
所以才会有那么多人被贪、嗔、痴、慢、疑困住，
也因此，真理始终掌握在少数人手中。

但我仍然希望——
愿我们，都能早点醒来。

因为醒来之后的轻盈、清澈、安宁，
远比麻木、沉重、行尸走肉式的活着，
要舒服许多。

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