small things

The other day Tatsugami Roshi said, “A tiger catches a mouse with his whole strength.” A tiger does not ignore or slight any small animal. The way he catches a mouse and the way he devours a cow are the same. But usually, although you have many problems, you think they are minor, so you don’t think it is necessary to exert yourself.

That is the way many countries treat their international problems: “This is a minor problem. As long as we do not violate international treaties, it will be okay. As long as we do not violate atomic weapons, we can fight.” But that kind of small fight eventually will result in a big fight. So even though the problems you have in your everyday life are small, unless you know how to solve them you will have big difficulties.