Buddha Says Hello

I took two key ideas away from my day-long meditation experiment at the Zen Center a few weeks ago.  First, and this probably won’t come as a surprise to most, but I’m not cut out to be a Zen Buddhist.  Aside from the uncomfortable seating position, the requirement for silence, and the bad haircuts, I can’t spend my days pondering the unknowable through the study of koans — questions that cannot be answered (like “What is the color of perfection?” or “Show me a shouldn’t”).  One session of that had me wanting to either poke my eyes out or hit someone.  So deeper dive into Buddhism isn’t in the cards for me.

The most meaningful thing I got from the day was a simple, subtler principle expressed this way:  Buddha says hello.  Meaning Buddha says hello… first.  Buddha doesn’t wait, doesn’t expect others to offer a hand, and doesn’t wait for others to do the right thing and respond in kind.  Buddha always says hello first.  He offers a simple greeting without expectation.  Knowing that doing the right thing is with anything its own reward.

As an organizing life principle, that’s a pretty good one.

I was reminded of that walking the Stanford Dish this morning.  The Dish, for non-locals, is a hilly 3.5 miles loop on the Stanford campus that circles a huge satellite Dish.  It’s a very popular exercise spot (read: Silicon Valley congested with overachieving types serious about get their workouts in).  Growing up in the South, there’s almost an unwritten rule that you acknowledge fellow walkers/runners as you pass with a nod, wave, whatever.  No so here in California.  One of my walking buddies (a Brit, go figure) is very serious about offering a hello to walkers who cross our path.  We get all kinds of responses, but mostly people seem somewhat put out or alarmed.  Sometimes will get a cheerful reply, but more often we get nothing or a begrudging, annoyed greeting.

Today was different and it made me both happy and grateful.  A male runner came from behind us, offered a cheery hello and then ran past with a smile.  Hats off for running this loop anyway, but what really cheered me was his courtesy and enthusiasm.  He said “Hello” before we even saw him.  He said “Hello” when he could have just sped by.  Just one kindness can make an impact.  Just do the right thing.  Buddha says hello, first.  I think I’m going to try doing more of that.