I have often heard experienced Zen teachers say something like ‘Go straight ahead’.

I noticed yesterday that most of the misery I experience in my mind is related to ‘looking backwards’ (in time) and preserving what I had previously derived from it or discovering new threats or problems. It would seem a simple matter to ‘go straight ahead’, and yet… the structured fictions we’ve formed in our minds have aspects that are previous to the now… even simple tasks may require some of these be preserved or emphasized in consciousness.

Yet the opportunity remains: go directly forward.

Intently

Mindfully