Zen Story
One day a student went to his Master and said, “Master, I want to learn Enlightenment, how long will it take?” Without thinking too hard the Master replied, “Ten years”. The student went away to think about what he needed to do but came back the next day in a state of agitation. “Master” he said, “If I work every hour I can and practice every moment of every day to attain Enlightenment how long will it take then?” Once again the Master did not have to think too hard and turning to the student replied, “Twenty years.”
As with all Zen stories there are any number of possible meanings such as “just let things happen”, “trying too hard can make us get in our own way”,or even “as we learn more, so there is always more to learn.” Why not think of some meanings of your own?
I like to use this concept in my practice for weight loss because that is something that we cannot and should not rush. Patience is of the essence. After all it takes time (and food of course) to put each extra pound on so we must allow ourselves time to lose each pound.