admire not imitate

Admire, don’t imitate

Tosui was a well-known Zen teacher of his time. He had lived in several temples and taught in various provinces.

The last temple he visited accumulated so many adherents that Tosui told them he was going to quit the lecture business entirely. He advised them to disperse and to go wherever they desired  and  chalk  their  own path . After that no one could find any trace of him.

Three years later one of his disciples  who  always  imitated  and  literally  worshipped  this  Guru  discovered him living with some beggars under a bridge in Kyoto. He at once implored Tosui to teach him  and  requested him  to  stay   with  him

“If you can do as I do for even a couple of days, I might,” Tosui replied.but he cautioned this disciple  to admire  him if  he  wishes  but  not  blindly  follow  and imitate him  for  that this  disciple readly  agreed

So the former disciple dressed as a beggar spent a day with Tosui. The following day one of the beggars died. Tosui and his pupil carried the body off at midnight and buried it on a mountainside. After that they returned to their shelter under the bridge.

Tosui slept soundly the remainder of the night, but the disciple could not sleep. Next  morning  Tosui said: “We do not have to beg food today. Our dead friend has left some over there and  you  know he died while  having  his  food .” hearing  this  the disciple was shocked and  unable to eat a single bite of it.

“I have warned  you not imitate all  my  moves blindly ,” concluded Tosui. “Get out of here and chalk  your  own path and  do not bother me  again ,allow  me  to live  the way  I  want and yes  one  word  of  advice   never  imitate  any one  blindly as every  person is unique in  this  world and  you  cannot  be  a  carbon  copy

.  similar incident happened in  great Shankaracharya  life ,He  observed  that few  disciples  were  blindly  imitating  him  and  so  our  great  Acharya  wanted  to teach  them a  lesson .It  so  happened  once while he was travelling with his disciples he was offered alcohol to drink. He drank it. So all  disciples  simply imitated him . Soon after, he came across a black smith who was melting metal. Shankara drank some of the molten metal as well astonishing his disciples. His message to his disciples was, don’t  blindly  imitate  me and  follow   all   my  teachings but understand in  your  own way  and follow  if  you  feel so only after you  are  convinced   . I could drink alcohol or  molten iron  as nothing affects me. Until you can reach this stage you still have to learn  a lot and  not  follow  me blindly .”

Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble.” 
― Samuel Johnson, The Rambler

Admiring someone is natural. To admire is to have a high opinion of someone; there’s nothing wrong with that. When we admire without imitating, we simply learn from others, and pick up their positive traits, without consciously trying to be like them.Trouble begins only when our admiration turns us into blind imitators, or it blurs our vision and makes us forget our own uniqueness. Then we become, in the words of swami vivekanda , “second-rate versions of somebody else,” instead of first-rate versions of ourselves.It is imperative for us to acknowledge that talents differ from one individual to another, and so do abilities. We are all especially gifted. In doing so, we may look up to many great individuals who have achieved success in their spheres. But, we do not have to pattern our lives on them to feel happy and fulfilled ..Our true fulfilment lies in being able to discover and, then, live the life we want to live. To do that, it is imperative to identify “who we really are.” Not how  other want  us  be.. as one  philopher says , “If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.” You are YOU , and why should you be someone else? Be yourself, and live your life, not someone else’s. When you’re true to yourself, you live the life that serves your highest purpose. While on this path, when you make mistakes, they are your own. You learn from them, and progress, but you’ll also feel fulfilled and self-actualised on the way. The next time you find yourself comparing and emulating a hero, or a celebrity, or anyone else, just remember the title of the book by John Mason: You Were Born an Original. Don’t Die a Copy!

Do not repeat after me words that you do not understand. Do not merely put on a mask of my ideas, for it will be an illusion and you will thereby deceive yourself.” 
― Jiddu Krishnamurti