Dog Mind, Lion Mind

This is a very beautiful Zen analogy.

Picture a dog in front of you. Throw the play bone at it. Each time you throw that bone at it, the dog jumps with enthusiasm and /runs to catch it and get it back. Do this a 100 times. Each throw of the bone will be treated by the dog with the same excitement and enthusiasm for it expects small treats to follow each round of its successful action! Distractions can fetch you but small treats.

Now, (for some strange reason), picture a lion sitting in front of you. Throw a bone for the lion to catch. It will look completely disinterested in running behind that one bone you threw. May even look at you with great contempt. Forget the one or two bones (play or real) that you would throw, what the lion sees is an entire bag of bones in front of it. The bag of bones - YOU, ofcourse! It does not chase the few bones you throw, because it can see the bigger picture in front of it. Its focus is to eat the entire you, not the tiny bones that get throw . That is what having a big picture view does to you. Widens your horizon and makes you go for the big things and not those hundred small things that get thrown at it.

Be clear about what you want in life. Without that clarity, you will be like that dog. Expending energy and running behind every small bone that gets throw at you whilst missing the real big bag of bones in front of it.

Distractions drive you away from your purpose. The wise never shop in that market.