~ Jack Kornfield
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
sit down
.
.
Once, there was a fellow who wanted out of the Zen
monastery where he was living.
In Zen monasteries you must pay constant attention to what you’re doing,
In Zen monasteries you must pay constant attention to what you’re doing,
what you’re
experiencing from moment to moment. After a time, this can get to you,
which is precisely
what happened to this fellow.
He went to see the master and said,
He went to see the master and said,
“I can’t take this
anymore. I want out.”
The master said,
The master said,
“Okay, then
leave.”
He started for the door, and the master said,
He started for the door, and the master said,
“That’s not your
door.”
“Oh. Sorry.” The fellow looked around and spotted another door.
“Oh. Sorry.” The fellow looked around and spotted another door.
As he headed for
it, the master said,
“That’s not your
door.”
“Oh!” He looked around for another door, and as he headed for that one,
“Oh!” He looked around for another door, and as he headed for that one,
the master said,
“That’s not your door!”
Bewildered and exasperated, the poor fellow said, “What do you mean?
Bewildered and exasperated, the poor fellow said, “What do you mean?
There’s no other
door. You told me I could leave, but there’s no door I can leave by.”
“If there’s no door you can leave by,”
“If there’s no door you can leave by,”
said the master,
“then sit down.”
We can only be here. We can’t leave. We’re always here.
We can only be here. We can’t leave. We’re always here.
Examine your life
and you’ll see. The master’s
“sit down”
means to start
paying attention to what’s actually going on,
instead of running
away from it. This is how it is with us.
Because we ignore
our true situation, we’re never satisfied.
~ Steve Hagen
~ Steve Hagen
images
.
. . . it is important to understand, not intellectually but actually in your daily life,
how you have built images about your wife, your husband, your neighbor,
your child, your country, your leaders, your politicians, your gods
–you have nothing but images.
how you have built images about your wife, your husband, your neighbor,
your child, your country, your leaders, your politicians, your gods
–you have nothing but images.
The images create the space between you and what you observe and in that space
there is conflict, so what we are going to find out now together is whether
it is possible to be free of the space we create, not only outside ourselves
but in ourselves, the space which divides people
in all their relationships.
there is conflict, so what we are going to find out now together is whether
it is possible to be free of the space we create, not only outside ourselves
but in ourselves, the space which divides people
in all their relationships.
Now the very attention you give to a problem is the energy that solves that problem.
When you give your complete attention–I mean with everything in you–
there is no observer at all. There is only the state of attention which is total energy,
and that total energy is the highest form of intelligence. Naturally that state
of mind must be completely silent and that silence, that stillness,
comes when there is total attention, not disciplined stillness.
That total silence in which there is neither the observer nor the thing observed
is the highest form of a religious mind. But what takes place in that state
cannot be put into words because what is said in words is not the fact.
To find out for yourself you have to go through it.
When you give your complete attention–I mean with everything in you–
there is no observer at all. There is only the state of attention which is total energy,
and that total energy is the highest form of intelligence. Naturally that state
of mind must be completely silent and that silence, that stillness,
comes when there is total attention, not disciplined stillness.
That total silence in which there is neither the observer nor the thing observed
is the highest form of a religious mind. But what takes place in that state
cannot be put into words because what is said in words is not the fact.
To find out for yourself you have to go through it.
~ J. Krishnamurti
excerpt from Freedom from the Known
art by Georges Braque
Friday, March 6, 2020
touch of life
.
There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light,
a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity
and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of all, Natura naturans.
There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence
that is a fount of action and joy. It rises up in wordless gentleness
and flows out to me from the unseen roots of all created being,
welcoming me tenderly, saluting me with indescribable humility.
This is at once my own being, my own nature, and the Gift of my Creator's
Thought and Art within me, speaking as Hagia Sophia,
speaking as my sister, Wisdom.
a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity
and Integrity is Wisdom, the Mother of all, Natura naturans.
There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence
that is a fount of action and joy. It rises up in wordless gentleness
and flows out to me from the unseen roots of all created being,
welcoming me tenderly, saluting me with indescribable humility.
This is at once my own being, my own nature, and the Gift of my Creator's
Thought and Art within me, speaking as Hagia Sophia,
speaking as my sister, Wisdom.
In the cool hand of the nurse there is the touch of all life, the touch of Spirit.
Thus Wisdom cries out to all who will hear (Sapientia clamitat in plateis)
and she cries out particularly to the little, to the ignorant and the helpless.
and she cries out particularly to the little, to the ignorant and the helpless.
Who is more little, who is more poor than the helpless man
who lies asleep in his bed without awareness and without defense?
Who is more trusting than he who must entrust himself each night to sleep?
What is the reward of his trust? Gentleness comes to him
when he is most helpless and awakens him, refreshed,
beginning to be made whole. Love takes him by the hand,
and opens to him the doors of another life, another day.
who lies asleep in his bed without awareness and without defense?
Who is more trusting than he who must entrust himself each night to sleep?
What is the reward of his trust? Gentleness comes to him
when he is most helpless and awakens him, refreshed,
beginning to be made whole. Love takes him by the hand,
and opens to him the doors of another life, another day.
(But he who has defended himself, fought for himself in sickness,
planned for himself, guarded himself, loved himself alone and watched
over his own life all night, is killed at last by exhaustion.
For him there is no newness. Everything is stale and old.)
planned for himself, guarded himself, loved himself alone and watched
over his own life all night, is killed at last by exhaustion.
For him there is no newness. Everything is stale and old.)
When the helpless one awakens strong at the voice of mercy,
it is as if Life his Sister, as if the Blessed Virgin, (his own flesh,
his own sister), as if Nature made wise by God's Art and Incarnation
were to stand over him and invite him with unutterable sweetness
to be awake and to live. This is what it means
to recognize Hagia Sophia.
it is as if Life his Sister, as if the Blessed Virgin, (his own flesh,
his own sister), as if Nature made wise by God's Art and Incarnation
were to stand over him and invite him with unutterable sweetness
to be awake and to live. This is what it means
to recognize Hagia Sophia.
~ Thomas Merton
from The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton
soul and the old woman
What is the soul? Consciousness. The more awareness, the
deeper the soul, and when
such essence overflows, you feel a sacredness around. It's
so simple to tell one who
puts on a robe and pretends to be a dervish from the real
thing. We know the taste
of pure water. Words can sound like a poem but not have
any juice, no flavor to
relish. How long do you look at pictures on a bathhouse
wall? Soul is what draws
you away from those pictures to talk with the old woman
who sits outside by the door
in the sun. She's half blind, but she has what soul loves
to flow into. She's kind, she weeps.
She makes quick personal decisions, and laughs so easily.
~ Rumi
version by Coleman Barks
from The Soul of Rumi
art by van gogh
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
the I - notion
Doing away with the I - notion is the same as not desiring
the personal attainment of enlightenment.
the personal attainment of enlightenment.
Not desiring that (the "last desire," the "last barrier")
is "having it," for "having it" is in any case merely being rid
of that which concealed what is forever that which alone we are.
is "having it," for "having it" is in any case merely being rid
of that which concealed what is forever that which alone we are.
Therefore not desiring personal attainment of that is
at the same time the elimination of the I-notion
which constitutes its concealment.
at the same time the elimination of the I-notion
which constitutes its concealment.
.
The idea of liberation automatically inhibits
the simple realization that we are free.
the simple realization that we are free.
~ Wei Wu Wei
from All else is Bondage
the burden of self
Yet do not misunderstand my words, I did not say that you must desire to un-be,
for that is madness and blasphemy against God. I said that you must desire
to lose the knowledge and experience of self. This is essential
if you are to experience God's love as fully as possible in this life.
You must realize and experience for yourself that unless you lose self
you will never reach your goal. For wherever you are, in whatever you do,
or howsoever you try, that elemental sense of your own blind being
will remain between you and your God. It is possible, of course,
that God may intervene at times and fill you with a transient experience
of himself. Yet outside these moments this naked awareness of your blind being
will continually weigh you down and be as a barrier between you and your God..
. It is then that you will realize how heavy and painful
is the burden of self.
for that is madness and blasphemy against God. I said that you must desire
to lose the knowledge and experience of self. This is essential
if you are to experience God's love as fully as possible in this life.
You must realize and experience for yourself that unless you lose self
you will never reach your goal. For wherever you are, in whatever you do,
or howsoever you try, that elemental sense of your own blind being
will remain between you and your God. It is possible, of course,
that God may intervene at times and fill you with a transient experience
of himself. Yet outside these moments this naked awareness of your blind being
will continually weigh you down and be as a barrier between you and your God..
. It is then that you will realize how heavy and painful
is the burden of self.
~ the Cloud of Unknowing
art by Victoria Burns
open space
Only in an open, nonjudgmental space can we acknowledge what we are feeling.
Only in an open space where we're not all caught up
in our own version of reality can we see
and hear and feel who others really are,
which allows us to be with them and
communicate with them properly.
We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from
communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts
of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people
who are closest to us, and we do it with political systems,
with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates
or our society.
communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts
of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people
who are closest to us, and we do it with political systems,
with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates
or our society.
.
Blaming is a way to protect our hearts, to try to protect what is soft
and open and tender in ourselves.
and open and tender in ourselves.
Blame is away in which we solidify ourselves.
Not only do we point the finger when something is "wrong,"
but we also want to make it "right."
Not only do we point the finger when something is "wrong,"
but we also want to make it "right."
We start with ourselves. We make ourselves right or wrong, every day,
every week, every month and year of our lives. When we feel right,
we feel good, especially if we have people agreeing with us
about how right we are. Suppose someone disagrees, then what?
Do we find ourselves getting angry and aggressive? We might see
that this is what wars are make of. Whether we judge ourselves
"right" or "wrong," the judgement gives us the satisfaction
of "knowing." This way we avoid the awkward unsettled uncomfortableness
of continuing to look more deeply at our words or behavior.
Until we can become comfortable hanging out with ourselves
without leaping to judgement it will be very difficult to just be with another,
to share and be truly compassionate. Learning to accept and live in a space
of the awkwardness of not knowing, to replace self-judgement with gentleness
is needed to move into the broken-open hearted
compassion that truly reflects who we are.
~ Pema Chodron
from When Things Fall Apart
every week, every month and year of our lives. When we feel right,
we feel good, especially if we have people agreeing with us
about how right we are. Suppose someone disagrees, then what?
Do we find ourselves getting angry and aggressive? We might see
that this is what wars are make of. Whether we judge ourselves
"right" or "wrong," the judgement gives us the satisfaction
of "knowing." This way we avoid the awkward unsettled uncomfortableness
of continuing to look more deeply at our words or behavior.
Until we can become comfortable hanging out with ourselves
without leaping to judgement it will be very difficult to just be with another,
to share and be truly compassionate. Learning to accept and live in a space
of the awkwardness of not knowing, to replace self-judgement with gentleness
is needed to move into the broken-open hearted
compassion that truly reflects who we are.
~ Pema Chodron
from When Things Fall Apart
Friday, February 28, 2020
looking at some flowers
Light is around the petals, and behind them:
Some petals are living on the other side of the light,
Like sunlight drifting onto the carpet
Where the casket stands, not knowing which world it is in.
And fuzzy leaves, hair growing from some animal
Buried in the green trenches of the plant.
Or the ground this house is on,
Only free of the sea for five or six thousand years.
~ Robert Bly
from The Light Around the Body
Shasta Daisy photographed under ultraviolet light
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
I follow barefoot
.
I long for You so much
I follow barefoot Your frozen tracks
That are high in the mountains
That I know are years old.
I long for You so much
I have even begun to travel
Where I have never been before.
Hafiz, there is no one in this world
Who is not looking for God.
Everyone is trudging along
With as much dignity, courage
And style
As they possibly
Can.
~ Hafiz
from The Subject Tonight is Love
translations by Daniel Ladinsky
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
bedtime story
The moon lies on the river
like a drop of oil.
The children come to the banks to be healed
of their wounds and bruises.
The fathers who gave them their wounds and bruises
come to be healed of their rage.
The mothers grow lovely; their faces soften,
the birds in their throats awake.
They all stand hand in hand
and the trees around them,
forever on the verge
of becoming one of them,
stop shuddering and speak their first word.
But that is not the beginning.
It is the end of the story,
and before we come to the end,
the mothers and fathers and children
must find their way to the river,
separately, with no one to guide them.
That is the long, pitiless part,
and it will scare you.
- Lisel Mueller
from Alive Together: New and Selected Poems
photo by ansel adams
with thanks to whiskey river
Monday, February 24, 2020
word fog
Words, even if they come from
the soul, hide the soul, as fog
rising off the sea covers the sea,
the coast, the fish, the pearls.
It's noble work to build coherent
philosophical discourses, but
they block out the sun of truth.
See God's qualities as an ocean,
this world as foam on the purity
of that. Brush away and look
through the alphabet to essence,
as you do the hair covering your
beloved's eyes. Here's the mystery:
this intricate, astonishing world
is proof of God's presence even as
it covers the beauty. One flake
from the wall of a gold mine does
not give much idea what it's like
when the sun shines in and turns
the air and the workers golden.
Rumi
art by claude monet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)