what if?

from "a glimpse of nothingness" by janwillen van de wetering (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1999).

Would there be a time, I thought while I brushed my teeth, when meditation is an accepted general activity? "Where is father?" "Father is meditating." "Oh." Father is meditating. He often does. The children meditate too when they have a chance. And mother. And the neighbors. They are all disciples of the master of the neighborhood. There will be new classes, new ranks. When you want to be a member of the government you have to have solved a certain number of koans, otherwise your insights will not be sufficient to be able to help rule the country. The prime minister is a wise old fellow with a bald shaven head. He doesn't want anything. He has no possessions except what he needs for his daily simply routine. He is a high priest who nearly always wears the same clothes. The higher you go the simpler you become. Only the common people are rich, they still want to have property. The more impressive your residence the lower your place in society. Perhaps the primer minister owns a mansion, but it is a gift from the people. He lives there to please his subjects but his bedroom will be a small bare room with white walls and his mattress will be thin and hard. He will get up at 3.00 am and the ministers will visit him one by one for sanzen. The state will be very rich. The bridges, roads, public buildings, airports, waterworks and national parks will be of the highest quality and well looked after. Nature will be nature again and full of wild life , but the wild animals will be tame.
(p119-120).

=)=)=)=)=)=)

then in another part the master says:
Do your best and never mind the results. If things work out it's very nice. If, in spite of everything, they don't it's very nice. Or the other way round. You might say that it's all wrong and not nice at all. Both conclusions are correct. You can laugh and you can cry, it doesn't matter at all what you do, but personally I would prefer to laugh. And meanwhile we continue to do our best. For no reason at all. Don't attach a purpose to it. And go on till you die, or become too old. Then rest. You might get sick. You may have an accident. Or everything may work with you. You may be healthy and famous and rich right up to the last minute. Whatever happen is quite immaterial. No purpose. (p122).