Who will live and who will die? On the surface, the question points us towards our destiny, the number of days we are given on earth. We ask to be found worthy, to live, be given the gift of more time. Along with that, of course, is a question we may not be asking—what is this time for? How to best spend it?

On a deeper level the question is asking us to remember what it truly means to live? Does living have to do with the number of days we are given, or the quality of our time here on earth? In Zen we say that many spend an entire lifetime without living at all. These individuals are described as ghosts haunting valleys and trees. They never awaken to who they are, their full potential or what their purpose on earth may be. 

Rather than dwell upon the number of days we are given, let us dwell upon this day, this moment. How are we living it now? What are we doing with our gift of time? Are we here? Are we aware of what's happening? Or are we hiding from others and ourselves in a rigid routine? 

What are the quality of our deeds? Who are we touching, who do we allow to touch us? Are we living a life that is self enclosed, dwelling only upon our own wellbeing, or are we available to the great mystery that life presents, day by day? 

When we truly live, for even one moment, the entire world turns around. Our taste of life is different. We see the sacred everywhere and become aligned with what we can offer and what is wanted of us. Let us devote ourselves to the precious koan of what it means to truly live. Then, even when we may be faced with so called death, we are fully alive to it. A great teacher, Joko Beck's last words when she was passing away in her nineties says it all. 
"Even this is wondrous," she declared right before she closed her eyes.

Brenda Shoshanna, Ph.D.psychologist, long term Zen practitioner, author and workshop leader, has offered over five hundred talks and workshops on all aspects of the simple laws of love. She presently offers Zen talks and a workshop entitled: Freeing Ourselves and One Another. This workshop introduces the practice of releasing, based upon Zen practice and principles and the Sedona Releasing method. Brenda is also an original student of Lester Levenson, founder of the Sedona Method. She can be reached at topspeaker@yahoo.com  www.brendashoshanna.com