Life is a Koan

Kaesavan Selvakumaran, PGY1 FM Resident, formerly 2T3 MAM

Artist's Statement: Kaesavan has been practicing Zen for over four years. He doesn’t know why he does it but keeps returning to the practice again and again. Society says that if you “work hard” and “put in the hours,” you will achieve what you hope to achieve. That, however, doesn’t seem to apply to Zen. Many go on for years or even decades without any progress. For others, they experience an almost instantaneous moment of enlightenment. This is one of many reasons why Zen brings fascination to the writer.

I tried entering the Zendo

With various motives

First, for solace

If not, for profit

Yet, tension to achieve

And failure to not

Kept me running

For 30 minutes.

Techniques and tips

“shoulds” and “shouldn’ts”

Are keys

that open no doors.

Expectation otherwise

Is Groundhog day

So where to go?

How to be?

Zen is a game of clarity.

But I’m too prideful to see.