Wake Up and Laugh!
"Wake Up and Laugh!" is the title of one of the books containing my master, Seon Master Daehaeng’s Dharma talks, and it is also one of my favorite phrases. It means to 'wake up from the ignorance of not knowing who we truly are and to smile brightly from our true nature.' Whenever I see that title, I am reminded of a moment with my master. What she taught me that day became a cornerstone of my practice and continues to keep me on the right path.
Twenty-seven years ago, on the first day I entered the monastic community to become a monk, I formally met my master for the first time. I had always laughed easily and enjoyed greeting people with a bright smile. So, excited and happy to meet her, I greeted her with my biggest smile.
“Hello, Master!”
She quietly looked at me and said in a gentle voice,
“From now on, become someone who smiles from the heart.”
My mind went blank. I had always thought my bright smile was one of my greatest strengths. Even when I didn’t feel like smiling, I smiled, and it had brought me compliments and affection from many people. But at that moment, I felt as though my master had seen right through it.
She was the first person to see beyond my smile and awaken me to what was really happening inside. Although my face was smiling, part of me was always struggling to be accepted and loved. With just a few words, she showed me the ego I truly needed to let go of.
That was the day my practice truly began. I stopped trying to appear cheerful and began practicing to return to simply being who I truly was. The smile on my face faded for a while, but a peaceful smile began to grow within. I no longer had to make myself smile. (That doesn’t mean I walked around frowning!) Day by day, I felt more at ease simply being myself.
Almost thirty years later, my master’s words still remain deep within me as both a hwadu(koan) and a reminder to stay awake in my practice. Only now do I feel that I am beginning to understand their true meaning.
Perhaps that is why these days I find myself laughing more again. As I come to understand the truth little by little, joy naturally arises and a smile spreads across my face. And as everyone I meet becomes dear to me, laughter comes naturally.
Perhaps this is the smile my master was speaking of all those years ago, a smile that comes from the heart. And today, once again, I find myself wishing that everyone might discover this smile within themselves.
Your Reflection
Many of people live under the weight of other people’s expectations and judgments. Sometimes they smile when they do not feel like smiling, hide their sadness, or pretend to be happy when they are not.
Maybe I could call them “survival masks.”
Yet behind those masks, their true nature is already pure, clear, and bright. Still, they may be afraid to take them off, as though something terrible might happen if they did.
If you are wearing a mask, take a moment to look within:
What are you trying to hide, and what are you hoping to gain by wearing it?
You can begin by simply recognizing the mask, without judging yourself for wearing it. And little by little, as you entrust the mask to your true natrue, you may rediscover the true self that was always there, clear, bright, and free.
And perhaps, one day, you too will find yourself smiling from the heart!
