“Within the ocean of doing, sentient beings appear and disappear without understanding themselves clearly, without hope of getting out.” —Blue Cliff Record, nineteenth case (T. Cleary and J.C. Cleary translation)
Recently, a relative said to me, “I’m a DO-er, not a BE-er!”
Given the topic of our conversation, it was a funny and clever interjection. And both of us knew it was an over-simplification of the truth. But the phrase has lingered with me for many days. It stirs up feelings of sadness and compassion.
How many of us are Do-ers, and not Be-ers? I expect the answer is, “Most.” That is the source of the sadness I feel. My sense of compassion comes from the thought of those who only Do, and never Be.
Taken at face value, “Doing” rather than “Being” might mean that one is actively doing something and not actively being in this moment. And no wonder! For many of us, doing is far easier than the discomfort we feel and the effort it takes to simply be here now.
Can a person be proud to be a Do-er? I suspect so, for there is honor in work and there is satisfaction in providing for others. Doing can be a powerful gift. But too often it comes at the expense of being, and that is a poor bargain.
For many of us, it is easy to set ourselves to work, to busy the hands, to distract the mind with a task, to avoid the unpleasantness of what might need facing up to at this moment. It is hard to argue that a person who spends all day helping people with their problems shouldn’t be allowed to just Do instead of Be when they arrive home in the evening.
And yet, it matters that we Be. Being is a far more important experience than Doing. When Being, one is Doing. But when Doing, one often forgets to Be.
Zen practice involves bringing our attention to this moment, no matter what we are doing. This moment is our life, and the experience of our life can only be here and now. If we are doing work at this moment, we must also find a way to experience Being while we are doing that work.
Far too often during my twenty-five years in academia, I have been Doing and not Being. Until recently, my rare escapes to the mountaintops were my Being times; the rest of my life was experienced as Doing.
That was wrong of me. There is no limit to the work that we think should be done; it is a never-ending cycle of Doing. But this moment is my life. Why not Do and Be at the same time?
As a geneticist with a pipette in my hand, I can load an electrophoresis gel blindfolded. So why not Be while I am doing this? What does the pipetter feel like today? How does the room smell? Can I realize how amazing it is that someone designed this tiny plastic tip to deliver an unseen substance into a hole I made in a slab of gelatin?
Why not perk yourself up in a faculty meeting and actually Be there for each colleague who speaks? Why not sit in the presence of a student needing guidance and actually Be there for him? Why not find the presence of mind to Be with your family at dinner, and to hear about your child’s day at school? Why not enjoy Being while you are preparing the meal or washing the dishes?
There is no other time to Be; there is only now. If you wish to appreciate your life, don’t just do. Be! Make your work a Being experience, and the Doing will naturally occur.
But be aware: the reverse is rarely true.
