If you are anything like me, the start of a new year is the time when you will sit down with a brand new diary and reflect, set goals and plan out what you think your year may look like. But it’s also the time when most of us will seek inspiration to help set the tone for the months ahead. Often that inspiration will come from quotes you have read, resolutions you have set or habits you want to adopt or change.
This year, my inspiration has come from a James Norbury book called ‘The Cat Who Taught Zen’. James Norbury is well known for his beautifully illustrated books that combine poignant messages of hope, introspection, and mindfulness.
The Cat Who Taught Zen attempts to “approach zen in a practical way by taking some of its ideas and stories and making them more accessible and useful on a day to day level”. Using animals to explain some traditional zen stories and their deeper meanings simplifies and demystifies the mindfulness philosophy. During Cat’s travels he meets many animals and although he is able to help each one by sharing an ancient story, he is also helping himself along the way. Cat’s realisation is that “when we benefit others, we cannot help but benefit ourselves.”
So my zen takeout for 2025: I’ve learned that what we want is seldom what we need, and what we need is almost never what we want!
Happy zen reading!
