Making the most of life

File:Eight-Fold Screen Painting of the Sun, Moon and Peach Trees 02.jpg

Mindful eating at its best, the poet fully taken by the eating of a peach. It can be the same for us today if we give any moment our full awareness:

O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

extract, Li-Young Lee, From Blossoms

South Korean Screen painting of the Sun, Moon and Peach Trees

Training in contentment

File:Kater in Lauerstellung vor einem Loch.JPG

Peace is the result of retraining your mind

to process life as it is, 

rather than you think it should be.

Wayne Dyer

photo 4028mdk09

On change, choice, life and death

paths

Two paths diverge in a wood….

You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…

Pablo Neruda from Dying Slowly

One step at a time

mellerey

Ideals exist in the mind, with absolutes of right and wrong, which tend to give us a sense of striving, of not being good enough  On the contrary, once we touch into the heart faculty, we connect more with the actual here and now and let go of the need to be prefect and certain. This brings about a deeper sense of balance and groundedness:

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how.

The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. 

Agnes George de Mille, American dancer and Choreographer.

Sunday Quote: Broken but..

crack

Lessons learnt from the week that has passed.  Two different personalities using words in different ways: one path ascends, the other descends.

This was reinforced in a conversation with a close friend yesterday: The Western mind is performance driven, with value being given to the highest achiever. This might be good for external advancement and achievement, but will it last in terms of wisdom and inner peace?

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again, I heard them say
Don’t dwell on what has passed away
or what is yet to be.

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything 
That’s how the light gets in 

Leonard Cohen, Anthem, died Friday November 11th

photo of centuries old rock in Glendalough

Our limited words

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 All of the wisdom traditions speak of the limitations of the interpretations or labels which we use to guide us through the day, or even through life. We form judgements about events and get strongly attached to those views, when we actually have no way of really knowing how things will turn out in the long run. Oftentimes, all we succeed in doing is raising our own anxiety. What we seek is that in each moment we have a direct experience of our life. The deepest realities about life, love and beauty cannot be put into words. 

The true seeing is when there is no seeing

Heze Shenshsui, Chinese Zen monk, 684 – 758

The disciples were absorbed in a discussion of Lao Tzu’s words ” Those who know do not say. Those who say do not know” When the Master entered they asked him what the words meant. The Master answered “Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose”.  All of them knew.  

Then he said “Put it into words” All of them were silent.

Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

photo mike plante