Q: What do you do when you encounter a problem in life?
At first, you don’t even acknowledge the problem. You act as though it’s not a big issue, pretending it’s something minor—something like a common cold—that will go away on its own. There’s no need to consult a specialist, no need for any remedy. You downplay the problem, and at first, you simply ignore or avoid it, assuming it will resolve itself without any intervention.
But can any problem in the world ever resolve without intervention? You create problems and expect them to disappear on their own—how is that possible? Yet this is how we think: perhaps a miracle will happen, or circumstances will change, and everything will fall into place. Why get involved unnecessarily?
This is the first reaction—we distract ourselves, engaging our minds elsewhere, so we don’t have to face the real issue. And this is where the danger begins. The problem you’ve ignored starts sinking deeper into your unconscious, falling into the darkest corners of your being. It goes underground. And once a problem is ignored, it becomes a seed that takes root within you.
It’s much easier to deal with a problem while it lingers in your conscious mind, where you still have some control. But once it slips into the unconscious, you lose mastery over it. If your mind is divided into ten parts, you might have control over the first part, but the other nine are beyond your reach. When you finally dig deeper, countless buried issues may erupt—problems you’ve suppressed for ages. Your unconscious mind is like a dumping ground for all your unresolved troubles and miseries. And you’re terrified that if you go there, all these suppressed issues will overwhelm you.
So, don’t let problems slip into your unconscious. Make it a priority to address issues early—when they’re still small. What seems minor today, if ignored, will grow into something major tomorrow. Problems rarely come alone; they often bring a thousand others along. Just like an illness, one problem can open the door for many more.
If you suppress one problem, like anger, how long can you avoid related issues like violence or desires? These are all interconnected. Address one, and you can unravel them all. But if you don’t deal with your challenges today, they’ll take root, and the seeds will grow stronger with time.
The second characteristic of the mind comes into play when the problem becomes unavoidable—when it stares you in the face. That’s when you begin to fight it. First, you avoid it, which is a mistake. Then, you fight it, which is another mistake. Fighting a problem is like banging your head against a wall. No problem can be resolved through struggle; it requires a calm and composed mind.
Dealing with problems is like trying to untangle a knotted thread. When that happens, you need absolute calmness, patience, and gentleness to untie them. Force will only tighten the knots, making them harder to resolve. Ignoring a problem isn’t patience—it’s procrastination. The real test of patience comes when you face the entanglement. Will you solve it patiently or fight it? Fighting small issues often leads you to bigger troubles.
Let me share a story—a tale often used by Zen masters to teach their disciples. It’s simple, yet profound, and deeply relevant.
Once, there was a famous Samurai in Japan whose mastery with the sword was unparalleled. Everyone was afraid of him, no swordsman was able to fight him in the entire country.
One night the Samurai came home and hanged his sword on the clamp, when he saw a mouse on his bed. He got upset – a great warrior, he removed his sword in anger as he only knew to swing his sword when he was angry. The mouse wasn’t even afraid of the sword, but the way he looked at the worries, the Samurai lost his cool. – “This stupid mouse, daring me?” And as if the mouse was mocking him – “go man, go away, so what if you have removed the sword! I am not afraid! I am not a human to would be afraid of you…huh.”
The Samurai swung his sword. The mouse jumped aside and saved himself, but the bed was chopped in half. Furious, the Samurai started attacking wherever he saw the mouse, Exhausted, he completely lost his mind in anger and started swinging his sword mindlessly. And the mouse was also very unusual, quick and nimble, evading every strike. He would jump and save himself. The Samurai started sweating and the sword broke into pieces. The mouse was still alive and sitting with ease, calm and unbothered.
The Samurai was shaken. He thought that the mouse was not an ordinary one, it must be having some supernatural powers. He had defeated many mighty warriors, but this mouse was undefeated. He got scared and ran out of the room. He went to his friends to ask what could be done. Friends said, “you seem to have lost. Who fights a mouse with a sword? Just take a cat and it would finish the job in a flick. Every situation has a remedy, and you will surely get into trouble if you use a sword where a needle would do – “Who fights a mouse with a sword? Just get a cat!”
But by then the story about the troubled Samurai and the fearless mouse was known throughout the village. All the cats of the village heard it and were terrified. They lost their confidence. “If a great warrior couldn’t defeat this mouse, what chance do we have?” People would push the cats into the room, but the cats would resist. And if a cat was thrown into the room, it would flee upon seeing the mouse. One or two cats did try to attack the mouse but were shocked that the mouse launched a counterattack…cats tried but failed miserably, retreating in fear after the mouse fought back, they were shattered and totally lost their confidence.
Every cat of that village got together as it was now a matter of their pride more than that of the warrior. Now cats were not even concerned whether the warrior would win or lose. ‘The mouse did the right thing. But now it’s a matter of our own pride. If other mice of the village came to know about this then even, they will start attacking us. Then what are we to do? This warrior has ruined us all.’
Desperate, they all reached out to a Master Cat who lived in the King’s palace and pleaded him to do something. The Master Cat said, “What is there to do? Wait here, I will be back.” The Master cat went into the room, caught the mouse and walked out.
The other cats were astonished. “How did you do it?” they asked.
The Master Cat replied, “I didn’t ‘do’ anything. I simply was. I’m a cat; the mouse is a mouse. There’s no need for strategy or struggle. Catching mice is my nature and their nature is to get caught The moment you start ‘fighting’ a mouse, you’ve already lost.” In doing this, neither are we winning nor is he losing. There is no competition, it’s just in our nature to catch the mouse. You have tried to do something other than your very nature. The day a cat fights with the mouse, it is defeated. The beginning of a battle is the beginning of defeat.”
So, your first mistake is avoiding the problem, and the second is fighting it restlessly. Perhaps you laugh at the Samurai’s foolishness but look at your own life. Aren’t you doing the same?
People come to me and complain that “I can’t stop chewing beetle leaves (pan) or tobacco since last 20 years or I’ve been trying to quit smoking for 20 years but can’t stop.” Is smoking a bigger problem than the mouse? Who are you, a cat that runs from a mouse? A matter as insignificant as chewing pan or smoking and for twenty years you couldn’t stop it? The habit is yours; the problem is yours and yet you fight against it??
Really, this is a Zen story. If your mind were the master, there would be no need for effort. Every effort is just to deceive yourself: you are not the cat, and you are fighting with the mouse. Become a master! But how to become a master? Tantra says, understanding will make you a master, nothing else. Understanding is the secret of all mastery. If you know it well, you are the master. If you do not know, you will go on fighting. Then you will remain the slave, and the more you fight, the more you will be defeated. You are fighting with a mouse.
Zen masters teach us to approach problems like the Master Cat. Be aware. Be conscious. That is enough. Problems dissolve in the light of awareness, just as a cat naturally catches a mouse. There’s no need for struggle. But if you become the warrior and stand with the naked sword. It’s a useless issue and if you fight, you will lose. For a patient of flu, if you apply chemotherapy, you will surely kill the patient. Struggling only means you lack confidence. Through awareness and meditation, problems will disintegrate—effortlessly.
Be natural. Why is there a need to fight? Who are you fighting, after all?
Osho: Transcribed from a discourse in Hindi.
Osho: Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, Vol 1: CHAPTER 26. TANTRA: AN ACCEPTANCE OF THE PEAKS AND THE VALLEYS (excerpts)
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मन के हारे हार है, मन के जीते जीत।
कहे कबीर सुन भाई साधो, मन ही कारण मीत।I
m^an ke haare haar hai, m^an ke jeete jeet,
kahe Kabir sun bhai saadho, m^an hi kaaran mit.
Defeat resides in the mind, and so does victory.
Kabir says, listen dear seeker, the mind alone is the cause of all relationships.
I was searching for a song to complement this blog when “Saamne Ye Kaun Aaya” from Jawaani Deewani popped into my head, and I thought – why not? Let’s have some fun! Picture this playful track as a cheeky banter between the Samurai, the mouse, and the cat. Every time the mouse dodges the Samurai’s attacks, you can almost hear him mocking and singing, “Saamne ye kaun aaya, dil mein hui hulchul!” completely baffled by the mouse’s quick moves. Give it a listen with this quirky perspective, you’re bound to have a good laugh!
Film: Jawani Diwani (1972): Singer: Kishore Kumar: Lyrics: Anand Bakshi: Music: R.D.Burman.
Samne Ye Kaun Aya | Jawani Diwani (1972) | Randhir, Jaya | Kishore Kumar | 70s Superhit Love Songs