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Everything, April 2010 |
"Liberation beckons us within everything."I don't know the author of this quote except that he was Chinese and lived sometime around the sixth century. He summarized volumes of Indian Buddhist teachings into one phrase.
This appeals to me because it says we don't have to go far to find peace. We can find it in religious practice, but we don't need to. We can find it tending our gardens, but we don't need to. We can find it raising our children, but we don't need to. The truth exists in everything. It is found everywhere.
I'm no longer worried about understanding "everything." Instead, I feel a sense of reassurance. I can't really screw up as long as I'm mindful. I don't have to worry about choosing the correct "right" thing -- listening to the right teachers, going on meditation retreats, reading the right books -- all of those are good, but none of them is the one and only way. Any will do. All will do.
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7 comments:
indeed... :-D
Douglas Adams wrote in his (excellent) book "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" about an Electric Monk that was programmed to believe everything it was told and thus save us the bother in much the way that video recorders save us from watching tedious programs.
The Monk got fried by accidentally being wired to said video recorder and trying to believe 23 things at once. So i guess my response to you is that i think in life it's important to listen to what people are telling you is true and to form a little part of your own truth from the whole
I guess for me it's about paying attention. I don't know whether that's the same (or similar) for you, but your photos suggest exactly that — the expression of someone who notices. They, like this post, draw me in; they challenge me, too, to notice.
I like this ... "we don't need to". I've been so busy lately, I have found my own practice has evolved - de-volved? And then, my friend pointed out a national geographic article about present day monks living on a remote island in turkey, no women allowed! She said it reminds here there is no "have to"'s. It's all in our brain. Now, I just need to live that! hope you are well.
Someone told me the "right" thing isn't always the "good" thing, but if intentions are to do the "good" thing, it is almost always right. I don't know...
Letting go of understanding with you...
I have yet to figure out what is "good" and what is "right."
Nice to hear from you, friends. I've missed being here.
Captain: two thoughts, one is everything can be good, two is keep looking until you feel it. You'll know.
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