What I like about the trees is how
They do not talk about the failure of their parents
And what I like about the grasses is that
They are not grasses in recovery
And what I like about the flowers is
That they are not flowers in need of empowerment or validation. They sway
Upon their thorny stems
As if whatever was about to happen next tonight
was sure to be completely interesting
Tony Hoagland, 1953 – 2018) American poet.
To know the ten thousand things,
know one well
Miyamoto Musashi, 1584 – 1645, The Book of Five Rings
When you really face the fact that there is nowhere to go and no choice, then you enter your situation completely.
Your mind does not keep saying “Well maybe I’ll do this, maybe I’ll do that”
There is no choice. There is only this moment, moment by moment by moment by moment.
At that point, you can open to the simplicity of your being and of your connection with others.
From that, clear action is possible, compassionate meeting is possible.
Wu Kwang, Zen teacher
Don’t worry if you feel
you can only do one tiny good thing
in one small corner of the cosmos.
Just be a Buddha body in that one place
Thich Nhat Hanh
Same understanding as yesterday’s quote, but from the Western tradition
I have spoken at times of a light in the deepest self,
a light that is uncreated and uncreatable,
and to the extent that we can turn away from created things, we shall find our unity and blessing in that little spark,
which neither space nor time touches.
Meister Eckhart
From the beginning, we all have a clear, wondrously bright field.
The many lifetimes of misunderstanding come only from distrust, hindrance, and the screens of confusion that we create.
Having turned yourself around, accept your situation;
if you set foot on the path, spiritual energy will marvellously carry you forward.
Contact all phenomena with total sincerity, with not a single atom of dust from outside yourself.
Hongzhi Zhengjue 1091-1157, Chan master, The Misunderstanding of Many Lifetimes
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