When people say “just live with whatever comes,” they often mean being passive or indifferent. But from a Buddhist perspective, the idea goes much deeper.

       Buddhism teaches that all things arise due to causes and conditions. Everything exists because the right causes and conditions come together.  And it’s impossible to go against what then happens. So ‘just live with whatever comes’ means letting go of rigid attachments and allowing ourselves to move in harmony with whatever conditions appear.

       Take a tree, for example. When the wind blows, that wind becomes a condition. The leaves sway and make sounds. A strong wind creates loud rustling; a gentle breeze makes soft movement. This is simply how conditions work.

       There’s a saying: ‘spring comes early to plants exposed to the sun’.  It means that when plants are in a favorable spot—like facing the sun—they tend to grow sooner. In nature, some plants grow quickly, some slowly, some straight, some bent. They simply respond to whatever conditions they meet.”

       Human beings are different. Because we have opinions, judgments, and attachments, it’s hard for us to live with our conditions in a natural way. To truly do so is the realm of a Bodhisattva – free from inner struggle.

       For example, once we think, ‘I must accomplish this,’ we start trying to bend circumstances to fit our plans instead of adjusting ourselves to what is possible. In trying to force things, we exhaust ourselves and often create negative karma.

       Or suppose we lose a wallet. We might dwell on it all day, replaying the moment and thinking, ‘If only I had…’ letting countless stray thoughts arise.

       Life does bring all sorts of pressure and challenges, so it’s important to learn how to bend rather than break. Water is a perfect example. It takes the shape of whatever container it’s in, becoming square or round as appropriate. When its path is blocked, it simply gathers and rises until it can move on. Water shows what true adaptability looks like.

       Ice, on the other hand, cannot do this. It stays hard and fixed in shape. Even if you break it, the pieces remain rigid. Our hearts are often like ice – cold, stiff, full of sharp edges, unable to yield.

       To live with whatever comes is to be like water - able to take any shape without harming ourselves or others. This is not easy, because everyone has their own viewpoints. When someone’s opinion clashes with ours, we tend to get upset or feel disrespected. But if we consider things from the other person’s perspective and loosen our self-centeredness, it becomes much easier to live life with whatever comes.

(Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team;
edited by Householder Fojin)