Are you a Seeker?

Monk Enō
The Zentrarian
Published in
2 min readJul 26, 2017

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They call me ‘The Seeker’
I’ve been searching low and high
I won’t get to get what I’m after
Till the day I die

I am sure you know, this is the opening verse of a 60's anthem by The Who. I should probably just post the rest of the lyrics and shut up; they nailed this aspect of self.

We are all seekers; it is a core part of being human. We seek the perfect relationships, lover, job, house, car, city, school … right down to, in my case, the best fish taco. Of course I cannot leave out the ever illusive happiness. We ponder, cogitate, worry and go to great lengths to seek these things out. “I’ve been searching low and high”

It is important to notice, this aspect of self is ‘the seeker’ we do not identify with it as ‘the finder’ for a reason. It is not your seekers job to find things. To top it off, when you do find something, how long is it before the seeker has you looking for the next thing? How much better that will be! What are the things you are perpetually seeking?

Having a well-honed seeker is not a bad thing. It only becomes a problem when you allow it to have the leading role for too long. There is a time for the seeker to do its job and then there is a time for it to retire to the dressing room.

“I [the self] won’t get to get what I’m after, until the day I [the seeker] die.”

We are all seeking for the way to be happy, or at least content. If I was clear at all above; it follows that as long as you are seeking ‘the way’ you will never find it. Sure you may find a better way or even a series of better ways, but in time they will all fail or fade.

The solution is to stop seeking and do the work of being the way. Be in relationship, be in a job, be in school … stop dreaming of how it could be better and see how good what you have can be.

This doesn’t mean there are not ends and new beginnings. I am only saying give the world a chance to show you that you are in the right place and with the right resources. This includes the right lessons you need to face or learn from, to live out the life you are meant to live.

May your life go well

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Monk Enō
The Zentrarian

Zen Monk | Wandering through the Human Condition | Pubs: The Zentrarian and Everyday Karma