Shadow Work
An old folk tale tells the story of a man who becomes so afraid of his own shadow that he tries to run away from it.
He believes he would be happy if he could just leave it behind.
The man becomes more and more restless and unhappy as he realizes that, no matter how fast he runs, he cannot shake off his shadow.
He refuses to give up and runs faster and faster, until he finally collapses from exhaustion and dies.
If he had stepped into the shade and settled there to rest, his shadow would have disappeared.
What are you constantly running away from in your life?
What have you been trying to get rid of for a long time and still can’t?
Maybe it’s time to rethink.
To face your greatest fears for once.
Not to run away, not to suppress them — as you always do — but to move in the opposite direction.
A well-known Zen master was once asked by a young boy:
“Have you ever been afraid?”
In response, he told the story of a journey to a monastery.
One day, a young monk and his companions set out on a long journey to a monastery. When they arrived, they saw a huge guard dog at the entrance gate, with massive teeth and red eyes.
The dog growled angrily and pulled at its chain, trying to attack them.
Carefully, they tried to sneak past at a distance. As they got closer, they could see its blue tongue and the saliva dripping from its mouth.
Suddenly, the chain snapped, and the dog ran toward them.
The companions screamed and froze in fear.
One of them turned and ran away as fast as he could.
But the young monk hesitated for a moment, then turned around and ran as fast as he could, straight toward the dog.
The dog was so surprised that it tucked its tail between its legs and fled.
😊😊😊
