The only reality we know is our concept of it.
Life is nothing till we call it something, and this is where mind training comes in.
Through it we learn to hold our concepts loosely, particularly those that allow unhelpful emotions to take over and cause us problems.
Karuna Cayton, The Misleading Mind
Silence is simply a state we reach when, like a fire deprived of fuel, distractions and restlessness naturally fade away. When a desert monk complained that he could not control his wayward thoughts, his teacher answered “Keep on sitting in your cell and your thoughts will come back from their wanderings“. In a way then there is nothing to achieve in prayer; we do not have to try to be quiet in order to be silent, we just have to be. Silence is a state of non-being that is being itself.
Nicholas Buxton, Tantalus and the Pelican
The deepest words of the wise …teach us
the same as the whistle of the wind when it blows
or the sound of the water when it is flowing
Antonio Machado, Spanish poet, 1875 – 1939
As the days begin to shorten, we are reminded that darkness is as much of life as is light. And each day we have moments of birth and moments of loss. They give an opportunity in the practice of taking some aspects of ourselves and our lives with less importance, of letting go or dying to our fixed sense of self:
Die while you’re alive
and be absolutely dead.
Then do whatever you want:
it’s all good.
Bunan, 17th century Zen Master.
The third noble truth says that the cessation of suffering is letting go of holding on to ourselves. By “cessation” we mean the cessation of hell as opposed to just weather, the cessation of this resistance, this resentment, this feeling of being completely trapped and caught, trying to maintain huge ME at any cost.
Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving-Kindness
November 2nd is the traditional day in Ireland and in most of Europe for visiting places of burial, a day set aside for remembering those who have died in the past year, or members of our own families who have died. The origins of this are probably found in the Celtic awareness of the spirit world around Samhain as well as a basic awareness of the shortening of days, which speak to us of the impermanence of all things, and the passing of time
In Japanese mythology a crane becomes immortal at the age of two thousand, when it is done being a crane.
And the tortoise becomes immortal at the age of ten thousand, when it starts being a wave.
So perhaps the purpose of experience is to wear us free of our names.
Mark Nepo. Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Here is one of the practices I referred to in the post this morning. It comes from the community established by Thich Nhat Hanh. I like it because it balances an awareness of the human condition and the inevitability of change with a focus on present actions.
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to escape ill-health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Plum Village Chanting Book
Mindfulbalance 