We pray, not for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye, clear.
What we need is here.
Wendell Berry
photo rspb
Tag: Meditation
Noticing thinking
It flows on without stopping
Through thousands and thousands of turns.
“A moment before thought” is
Already wrong thinking.
To try to say anything more
Is embarrassing.
T’aego, Korean Zen master, 1301–1382
.
Doing each thing well
To know the ten thousand things,
know one well
Miyamoto Musashi, 1584 – 1645, The Book of Five Rings
photo joe mabel
Is it good or bad?
We can never fully know the meaning of what is happening to us now. Life-defining moments often become clear only in hindsight. We often miss what is in front of us by leaning too far into the future, or having too fixed a plan for our life. Cultivating a “Don’t Know” mind helps us allow things unfold in their own time.
There was an old man with a small farm in China many years ago. He had one son, who did most of the work on the farm and a neighbour, himself old with a son.
One day the old man’s horse ran off, and the neighbour, seeing this, said, “How terrible, your horse has run off, now work on your farm will be so difficult.” To this the old man replied, “Maybe good, maybe bad, we’ll see.”
The next day the old man’s horse returned leading a group of wild horses, and the neighbour, seeing this, said, “How wonderful! You have many horses, now you have great wealth and may live easily.” To this the old man replied, “Maybe good, maybe bad, we’ll see.”
The next day the old man’s son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg, and the neighbour, seeing this, said, “How terrible, your son has broken his leg, now your work will be doubled as nurse and farmer.” To this the old man replied, “Maybe good, maybe bad, we’ll see.”
The next day the king’s men came to the farms seeking all able men to fight a distant battle, and the neighbour, sobbing as his son marched off, said “How fortunate you are for having an injured son, mine will surely perish.” To this the old man replied, “Maybe good, maybe bad, we’ll see.”
A Taoist Tale
and whatever you are doing
Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free.
Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.
This is the ultimate
Zhuangzi, 4th Century BC
Its own terms
More wind and rain passing over Ireland this afternoon. Most conversations about the weather tend to judge it in terms of “normal” and “predictable”, when in fact it keeps surprising us in its variety and extremes. We often fall into the trap of thinking that it should fall in with our plans and in doing so we risk missing the richness of what actually happens.
It’s not all that hard to get enlightened; what is difficult is to keep giving up our sense of the world so that the world can come to us on its own terms, with its vast, pitiless, loving intelligence…we return to the simplest things with an immense recognition and gratitude.
Stephen Mitchell
photo don macauley
