The Spark ("Picking up the leaves")
koan
Zen Master Ting-chou was walking in the courtyard with a novice monk. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew many leaves off a tree. The Master bent over to pick them up an put them in his pockets.
The novice said to him, "Master! You don't have to do that. We'll sweep the courtyard tomorrow morning."
The Master objected to his suggestion, "You shouldn't say that. Will sweeping definitely make the yard cleaner? If I pick up one leaf, there will be one less on the ground. It will be cleaner than if I don't do it."
"But, Master!" protested the novice, "There are so many leaves that are falling. The moment you pick one up, another may fall on the same spot. How will you be able to finish the task?"
Ting-chou replied as he continued picking up leaves, "Leaves don't just fall on the ground, but they also fall in our minds. I am picking up those that are in my mind. Eventually, I'll clean up all of them. " And he began to understand.
When the Buddha was alive, he told a disciple to chant "whisk off the dust and clean up the trash" while he was working. After some time, the disciple began to think: "If one uses a broom to sweep away rubbish, what should one do to wipe off the dust in one's mind?"
By picking up leaves, the Master was actually eradicating erroneous thoughts and worries from his own mind. It does not matter how many fallen leaves there are on Earth. What matters is that you pick up one by one the leaves in your mind.
This lesson is about attaining peace of mind, which is the gateway to clarity, good judgement, good manners and good decision making. A pure mind will automatically bring forth a pure life.
From a leadership perspective, this koan makes me think of two important traits of good leadership: self-awareness and continuous improvement.
Do you know how many fallen leaves are in the garden of your mind? Do you have the discipline to pick them up? one by one, even if it feels like a never ending task. Wipe off the dust.
A decluttered mind is the path to greatness 🙏