Friends, if work is not done with understanding, then every work can become a burden. But a wise man makes even the most difficult task his meditation. In today's story that I am going to tell you, you will find such a surefire method by which you can turn any work into meditation very easily.

How To Transform Work Into Meditation? | Lao Tzu and King Story

A very famous emperor lived in a state. It reached the emperor's ears that an extraordinary philosopher named Lao Tzu lives in his kingdom. When the minister told that the truth of life is hidden in every word of Lao Tzu, there is no enlightened person like him far and wide, then the emperor thought that once he should walk and see how great that man is.

The very next day the emperor set out to meet Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu lived in a small town near a mountain. The road was long. When the emperor asked about Lao Tzu in the middle of the way, people praised him a lot. The emperor thought that in reality, he would be an intelligent, educated, and influential person.

When the emperor reached outside Lao Tzu's hut in the evening, a laborer was working in a small garden. That laborer's body was covered with mud and there were no slippers on his feet. The emperor asked, Sir, where is Lao Tzu? I have come from far away to meet him. That laborer said, sir, you sit inside, I will call Lao Tzu now.

The emperor sat inside and waited. After a while, Lao Tzu came to the hut and greeted the emperor. The emperor was surprised and said, "Hey, you are the same laborer who was working outside just now." He said sorry, I was doing a small job. Lao Tzu said you tell the reason for your coming. Then the emperor said, I have heard that there is no one else in the kingdom as extraordinary as you, so I came to meet you.

I would like to receive teachings on enlightenment from you but excuse me, I see that you have neither any book, nor any achievement, nor any sign of art, but still you are looking very calm. Can you tell me your secret? Lao Tzu said, tomorrow you meet me before the sun rises. Saying this, Lao Tzu became silent.

That night the emperor could not sleep. He was curious as to what Lao was going to tell me. When the emperor arrived the next day, Lao Tzu was standing in the garden. He said, Emperor, come here and slowly pour water on the plant from this place.

Lao Tzu said that while doing this, pour water on these 15 plants, but while pouring water, do not do anything else, nor think about anything else. Keep your focus on the water and the plant. If any thoughts arise, stop and water again from the first plant. Come to me when you water all the plants.

It was the first time the emperor had received such a task. The emperor carefully poured water into the first plant. Then watered the second plant, then while going to the third plant, he started thinking about the garden of his palace. The emperor was wise, he knew that Lao Tzu was testing him. If he tricks, he will be caught. That's why the emperor again went to pour water on the first plant.

This time he had reached the second plant only while pouring water he started thinking about the river. The emperor got upset and reached the first plant again. The more the emperor tried, the more distraught he became, and found himself trapped in one thought or the other.

At last, it was evening but the emperor could not reach the last plant. When the emperor sat down tired, Lao Tzu said, Emperor, I am very pleased with your honesty. That's why listen, when the mind is empty of thoughts, then the true nature of the mind i.e. silent awareness appears in it. Then every simple act can give you infinite knowledge and peace.

The king said when we work, many thoughts disturb us, why is it so? Lao Tzu said, Emperor, you were not watering the plant. You wanted to finish your work as soon as possible. You were in a hurry to finish work so that you could talk to me. That's why you were feeling this work as a burden. Due to this, you could not keep yourself in the present moment.

If you understood the value of this moment and paid attention only to the plant and water, then no thought would bother you. I understand all this, said the king, but it is very difficult to live in this moment. Will I have to do penance by living alone for this? Lao Tzu says that a calm mind is already there. There is no need to go to the forest for this.

First of all, learn to pay attention to your breath. Then you will know that the peace is only with the breath. After that, keep the attention on the breath while working. You can pay attention to your breath all the time while you are talking, walking, thinking, eating, and drinking.

When you do this, the scattered mind shrinks and becomes concentrated. When a person does any work with concentration, then his whole being, his mind, his body, his brain, all things are engaged in the same work and no thoughts arise. When this happens the doer and the action become one and the silent awareness that was there before becomes manifest.

Enlightenment, bliss, present moment, whatever you name it, it is easily attained. Our breath is very mysterious, neither it moves in the past, nor it moves in the future, it keeps on moving in the present. And when we start paying attention to our breath, we move from our past and future to the present. When we learn to live in the present, there is no thought in the present because thoughts arise only because of the future or the past.

Lao Tzu says that the mind that does not oppose things, does not run away from trouble, remains alert. That mind transcends all difficulties. Never try to finish the work as a burden and finish it quickly because it creates stress. You want to be somewhere else, not here. Due to stress, thoughts start dominating the mind, and the work which was the door to the present, the art of living in the present, really starts to feel like a burden.

Bring your attention to your breath before starting any work and then do the same during work. The attention to the breath will gradually turn into attention to work.

Hearing this the emperor asked but sir how can we do two things at the same time. Either I can concentrate on my breathing or I can concentrate on my work. If I concentrate on my breath, my work will not be completed in its entirety. And if I concentrate completely on the work, I will not be able to concentrate on breathing.

Can't it happen that instead of breathing, I can concentrate my whole attention on that work only? Responding to this, he said that right now you were pouring water on the plants but still thoughts used to come into your mind. You cannot keep working all the time so you have to practice breathing meditation. You breathe all the time, but you don't do work all the time. That's why, to practice this continuously, I have told you the meditation of the breath.

Once your mind is concentrated, empty of thoughts, there is no contradiction in it, then whatever work you want, for as long as you want, your attention will remain on that work for that long. No thoughts will come to the mind and the depth of doing that work will also go on increasing. That work will not become a burden then, but it will become your meditation.

But for this, you have to walk completely opposite to the world. There is a race among all the people in the world. Everybody wants to get ahead of the other guy.

Every person wants to complete their work quickly but they miss the present moment. That's why a worldly person is unable to make work his Meditation. You learn to stay in every moment and slowly go on doing your work with a conscious state, with full awareness, focusing on your breath. Then slowly you will find that your mind has become empty of thoughts. Now you will see a glimpse of reality.

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