Every day we have moments when we get a glimpse into the deep beauty of the world. It may be as simple as a shared conversation, a glass of wine, a walk in nature. However, sometimes we are so preoccupied that we do not have the time or the space to notice.
You know what the issue is with the world?
Everyone wants some magical solution to their problem
and [yet] everyone refuses to believe in magic
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
photo phil champion
As we go through our daily activities, we frequently get lost in thoughts of past and future, not staying grounded in the awareness of our bodies. A simple reminder that we’re lost in thought is the very common feeling of rushing. Rushing is a feeling of toppling forward. Our minds run ahead of us, focusing on where we want to go, instead of settling into our bodies where we are.
Learn to pay attention to this feeling of rushing — which does not particularly have to do with how fast we are going. We can feel rushed while moving slowly, and we can be moving quickly and still be settled in our bodies. Either way, we’re likely not present. If you can, notice what thought or emotion has captured the attention. Then, just for a moment, stop and settle back into the body: feel the foot on the ground, feel the next step.
Joseph Goldstein, A Heart Full of Peace
The swallows are gathering in the evenings now, and look as if they are getting ready to depart. Their natural freedom lies within us, not something outside that we need to attain or become. It is often our fears that prevent us from accessing it, and we choose to stay safe rather than risk the journey:
Look at the birds.
Even flying
is born
out of nothing.
The first sky
is inside you, my friend, open
at either end of day.
The work of wings
was always freedom, fastening
one heart to every falling thing.
Li Young Lee, One Heart
photo Takashi Hososhima
The past is a memory,
the future is uncertain,
now is the knowing.
Ajahn Sumedho
photo glacierNPS
Awake, my dear.
Be kind to your sleeping heart.
Take it out into the vast fields of light and let it breathe.
Hafiz
photo Mullaghrellan Woods Kilkea
I find hospitality to be one of the most significant and most challenging of all the monastic virtues… There is another dimension to this practice which we sometimes might be tempted to forget which is inner hospitality. Within each of us we have a multitude of feelings. experiences, and inner selves that we would prefer to close the door on. We have many inner strangers knocking at the door of your hearts. How many times have I refused to welcome grief or anger, the scary new dream, the embarrassing aspect I want to deny, or the part of myself that doesn’t seem to fit with others?
Christine Valters Paintner, Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
