It seems to me that almost all our sadnesses are moments of tension,
which we feel as paralysis because
we no longer hear our astonished emotions living.
Rilke, Letter to a Young Poet
photo of the coffee shop in Kilcullen, called An Tearmann, which is Irish for “Refuge” or “Sanctuary”
At the center of his existence man is unknown to himself and must remain so,
for that part of being that calls itself man could be known fully
only if the community of being and its drama in time were finally known as a whole.
Eric Voegelin, American political philosopher, 1901 – 1985
photo bert kaufman
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe,
is as good as dead;
his eyes are closed.
Albert Einstein
photo at Kippure, Co Wicklow by joe king
Another way, which is our practice here, is slowly to open ourselves to the wonder of what life is, by meticulous attention to the anatomy of the present moment. Slowly, slowly, we become more sophisticated and knowledgeable…in this approach everything in our life becomes grist for the mill… as this anatomy becomes clear, freedom increases.
Charlotte Joko Beck
Everyone who lived at that time –
not being as wise as you young ones are today –
found it rewarding enough in their simplicity to listen to an oak or even a stone,
so long as it was telling the truth.
Plato, Phaedros
photo of County Wicklow by J H Janssen
As my prayer become more attentive and inward
I had less and less to say.
I finally became completely silent.
I started to listen
– which is even further removed from speaking.
I first thought that praying entailed speaking.
I then learnt that praying is hearing,
not merely being silent.
This is how it is.
To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking,
Prayer involves becoming silent,
And being silent,
And waiting until God is heard.
Søren Kierkegaard, 1813 – 1855, Danish Philosopher
photo miguel virkkunen calvalho
