I sit before flowers
hoping they will train me in the art
of opening up
Shane Koyczan, 22 May 1976, Canadian poet and writer
photo katrina wiese
Tag: heart
Sunday Quote: Quiet
A quote for the beginning of the most important week in the Christian calendar:
The quieter you become
The more you can hear
Ram Dass
photo USFWS Mountain Prairie
Being kind to ourselves – even the difficult bits
Face the shadow side of yourself, but do not identify with it. It represents only part of who you are. So there is a difference between relating to the denied parts of yourself (bringing light to them), and totally “acting them out” (which is to leave them in their unconscious and dark state). This is why it is so foundational to know yourself, and to learn to be honest about your real motivations.
The hero in us wants to attack, fix, or deny the existence of our dark side. We can also be tempted to share dramatically everything about it as a way to control it (sometimes called ventilating or dumping). The saint merely weeps over the shadow and forgives it — and by God’s grace forgives himself for being a mere human. He opens his arms to that which has been in exile and welcomes it home for the friend that it often is.
Richard Rohr, On the Threshold of Transformation: Daily Meditations for Men
Stopping negative thoughts
Keep your heart clear and spacious
and you will never be hooked.
A single disturbed thought
causes ten thousand distractions
Ryokan, Zen Buddhist monk, 1758 – 1831
photo Adityamadhav83
A solid sense of self
Chi Hsing-tzu was training a fighting cock for the king.
After 10 days, the king asked if the bird was ready for combat. “No, Your Majesty,” replied Chi,” He’s too full of fire, arrogant, always ready to pick a fight. He’s relying on his own strength.”
Another 10 days passed, and the king asked again, Chi said, “No, Sir, not yet. He still becomes excited when a rival bird appears.”
10 more days. The king asked again. “Not yet,” Chi said. “He still gets an angry glint in his eye, and ruffles up his feathers.”
Another 10 days, another question.
Chi said, “Now, Sir, he is ready.
When a rival bird crows, his eyes don’t even flicker. He stands immobile like a block of wood.
His focus is inside.
Other birds will take one look at him and run.”
Story told by Chuang-tzu (Zhuang Zhou), Chinese Taoist philosopher, 4th century BC
Photo fernando de suosa
The light is always there
A beautiful idea, similar to the Eastern understanding of natural goodness, or original mind:
Our hands full or not:
The same abundance.
Our eyes open or shut:
The same light.
Yves Jean Bonnefoy, French poet and art historian, 1923 – 2016
with, as before, thanks to david kanigan, Live and Learn blog
photo carrotmadman6
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