Always new

Karl Duffy1 Comment

Not a single drop of water passes over the same rock twice, and the murmur of water rushing over a rock is constantly changing. Sameness is but an illusion of the human ears, eyes, mind. Water that has once flowed along a riverbed can never retrace its course. Human life is no different. It is only our mundane eyes and minds that we see yesterday as being the same as today.

Enlightened eyes and minds should recognize that each moment has a form different from that of any other moment

Shundo Aoyama, Zen Seeds

Widen the heart

Karl Duffy1 Comment

Get yourself out of the way,

and let joy have more space.

Rumi

It’s all already here

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Not till your thoughts cease all 
their branching here and there, 
Not till you abandon all thoughts 
of seeking for something,
Not till your mind is motionless 
as wood or stone, will you be 
on the right road to the Gate.

Huang Po, died 850, influential Chinese Chan master

Life on your own terms

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Give yourself permission not to be not good at something.

Quietly and softly carve out a life on your own terms. Stop apologizing.

Forgive that sometimes things take a while.

Forgive the low-level, near-constant fear.

Celebrate the small successes.

Perhaps joy is its own body of water, wade out into it.

From the blog of Meg Fee,  Author of Places I stopped on the Way Home

(Photo from Bray Head, Valentia Island with Skellig Island on the horizon)

Not hardening the heart

Karl Duffy1 Comment

Anytime I go to the West of Ireland I am always struck by the vastness of the horizons and the wildness of the ocean.  This photo comes from Valentia Island, a beautiful,  enchanted, place off the South West coast, with peaceful walks and windy beaches, seals, puffins and seabirds. But it is from the movement of the ocean that we can learn most, how to remain spacious and keep the heart soft, open and fluid. 

May there come across the waters 
A path of yellow moonlight 
To bring you safely home. 
May the nourishment of the earth be yours, 
May the clarity of light be yours, 
May the fluency of the ocean be yours, 
May the protection of the ancestors be yours. 
And so may a slow 
Wind work these words 
Of love around you, 
An invisible cloak 
To mind your life. 

John O’Donoghue, Beannacht

(If you are ever tempted to visit this beautiful place, I would highly recommend this airbnb, run by Tom, a deeply thoughtful man and the perfect host. He runs a lovely house  with well-stocked bookshelves, ideal for a reflective break.)

His house can be found at https://www.airbnb.ie/rooms/32330925 

 

Knowing when to let go

Karl Duffy2 Comments

Don’t push the river,

it flows by itself.

Chinese Proverb