Zen for Daily Living: Everything changes and the Picayune
The Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki was once asked how to define Zen Buddhism in as brief a way as possible, and he replied accurately and succinctly: “Everything changes.” I’m reminded of this revered Zen Master’s insight when I reflect on the fact that after 46 years, this newspaper that you are currently reading, the Westlake Picayune, is ceasing publication.
I had written periodically for the Austin American-Statesman over the years, but when it became apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic would inexorably force painful changes on everyone in our society and world, I wanted to do everything I could to help heal our society. So in March 2020, I approached an editor of the Picayune about writing a regular column integrating the insights of Zen and psychology to try and help people amidst the complexities of our time.
Social science research shows that one of the best ways to unite disparate or divided groups of people is to have them work together on a common, shared goal. At first, I was hopeful that the COVID-19 pandemic could be a galvanizing force, uniting us in community and common purpose. Instead, over a million of our citizens have been killed by COVID-19, so far, and we may be more divided than when the pandemic began.
So it’s with a sadness that I write my final column for the Picayune. Our country also seems to be transitioning from viewing COVID-19 as a pandemic to an endemic situation. As of this writing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID Data Tracker, 313 Americans are dying every day of COVID. I’m a psychologist not an epidemiologist, so I don’t claim to have all the answers about how to handle a once-in-a-century pandemic.
As a psychologist I specialize in oncology, chronic and terminal illnesses, caregiver support, grief and trauma. The vast majority of my patients are immune compromised. I estimate that approximately half of my patients died during the pandemic. As a parent, on a personal level, I see how hard the pandemic was on my wife, an elementary school teacher, and my children. I can understand and relate to a need to “get back to normal” regarding masking and socializing. It feels like much of our society has already moved on from COVID-19. As a psychologist, I worry about my immune compromised patients who continue to have to live with the ramifications of conspiracy theories and misinformation during a pandemic that is not over. I also worry about the psychological trauma that will linger in our society far longer than the pandemic.
A lot of my colleagues are retiring or making career changes and I can certainly understand why. It’s easy and understandable to feel down about the world. I too have had my moments of despair and doubt. Is the pandemic truly winding down, or will another terrible variant come roaring back? Will our partisan divides be overcome? How will things like the war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, supply chain issues, inflation and global warming, etc., unfold? Sometimes when stressful events occur in our environment, it influences us to engage in unskillful behaviors, which we are certainly seeing. We as a society are sitting with not knowing, and sitting with not knowing can be very hard.
More than one thing can be true at the same time. Every generation believes their particular time in history is the hardest. World War I and the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, World War II, the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis; our history is filled with times that felt overwhelming. And yet we as a species endured and in many important ways have continued to advance.
It’s easy to worry about the direction of our individual lives and the fate of our nation and the world as a whole. When I find myself worrying I try to remind myself of an ancient tale "The Farmer’s Luck." Once there was an old farmer who worked hard for many years. One day one of his horses ran away and all the villagers said the farmer must have bad karma. “Perhaps,” the farmer thought. When the horse returned the villagers said the farmer must have good karma. “Perhaps,” the farmer thought. When his son then tried to ride and tame the horse he was thrown off it and injured. All the villagers said the farmer must have bad karma. “Perhaps,” the farmer again thought. A few days later the army came to draft the farmer’s son into the military to fight in a war, but since the son was injured he was excused from military service. All the villagers said the farmer must have good karma. “Perhaps,” the farmer again thought.
Many people are making predictions about how things will unfold in our world. The amount of variables impacting us and our world are incalculable. We as a species are sitting with not knowing, which has always been true. It may feel more acute right now, and the task of being human has always been to sit with not knowing as we seek to live with purpose, transforming suffering and cultivating joy. Whether things get better or worse, this is our path, to do what we can even amidst not knowing the outcome.
I’m sad the Westlake Picayune is ceasing publication. It’s been an important part of my life. I hope it has been a healing factor in your life as well. Recently I was awarded a fellowship from Fielding Graduate University’s Institute for Social Innovation to write a book exploring the intersections between the ancient origins of Zen and mindfulness with contemporary psychology. I’m grateful that my writing path endures.
Everything changes, and we do our best to bring ourselves back to our path again and again. This is the human way. To stay true to our path we have to take care of ourselves. We all need help sometimes. Local journalism matters. As this storied local paper ceases publication, let’s recommit to transforming the suffering of the world, making it kinder and more peaceful. And thank you for reading my column over the years.
Dr. David Zuniga is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Austin, and is also a vice bishop in one of the oldest lineages of Korean Zen. His website is a free, interdisciplinary source of support: drdavidzuniga.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Zen for Daily Living: Everything changes and the Picayune
