Tag: understanding.

The Heart of Understanding.

“Right thinking,” shares brother Thich Nhat Hanh, “is the kind of thinking that is free from discrimination, anger, fear, and illusion. When you produce a thought in alignment with right thinking, that thought will begin to heal you and heal the world.”

My darlings, can you imagine a thought just like this? One that is free from the barriers of ego, and serving as a conduit to the practice of healing?

It is within the context of right thinking that we can begin to open, to breathe – to free ourselves from the conflicts of delusion.

In doing so, we can begin to pass safely into the realm of ‘just simply being.’

Without the chattering of ego, we can begin to appreciate the fullness of those who stand before us. We can share in the experience of their suffering and their pain – and recognize, that their joy is inseparable from our own.

Though, in order to develop a connection such as this ~ we must be open to the practice of looking and listening deeply.

“In order to listen like that,” shares philosopher Jacob Needleman “you have to step back from your own mind. You have to step back from your own opinions. You have to create a space in yourself, in your mind, in your heart, an opening to let the other person in.”

In this way, we can begin to share those pieces of self – those tattered, torn shards of our soul – the ones that have the capacity to heal.

In doing so, we create a space for *all* to be understood.

Much love, my dearest friends ~ and on this day, I wish you the fullness of a heart that is understood.

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Behind the Looking Glass.

William Blake once wrote, “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite.”

Indeed, to see this world as it really is – absent the dialogue of thinking mind – is to finally understand the depth of our own limitlessness.

And, each time we struggle with the harshness of ‘wrong view’ – whether our own, or that of another – we are gifted the opportunity to wipe another corner clean.

With each swipe, something new is revealed. Faith, hope, optimism formed delicately between those mottled panes of glass – reflecting the light of a new-found resilience, forged in those moments of “I don’t think you can.”

We all experience these moments, my darlings ~ in which we are seen through the haze of another’s looking glass.

And though, instinct may encourage us otherwise. Sometimes the best, and only thing we might do – is to hand them a ‘cloth’ and wish them well.

“For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.”

And, to my critics of this week, now past:
Does my trembling trouble you?

Good.

Because, I promise you – one day this ‘shimmy shake’ will take on the world. Can you feel it? I most certainly do.

And, to those I now consider my dearest friends:

My darlings, never-ever-ever let yourself be limited by another’s small-minded view.

Remember, it’s their window to clean – not yours.

In peace, from behind this humbled looking glass.

The Lesson of the Waterbird.

“When I was a novice, I could not understand why, if the world is filled with suffering, the Buddha has such a beautiful smile. Why isn’t he disturbed by all the suffering? Later I discovered that the Buddha has enough understanding, calm, and strength; that is why the suffering does not overwhelm him. He is able to smile to suffering because he knows how to take care of it and to help transform it. We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness, and strength so we can help transform the situation. The ocean of tears cannot drown us if karuna is there.

That is why the Buddha’s smile is possible.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

In speaking about the awakened mind, Dōgen says, “Coming, going, the waterbirds don’t leave a trace, don’t follow a path.”

And though, there are many ways to interpret this passage – to me, it represents the true nature of understanding.

Indeed, as Dōgen suggests, we might move effortlessly through out thoughts – just as the bird gracing the waters, unencumbered by the complexities of our emotions.

Likewise, our thoughts may run more deeply, like a plow to the earth – leaving only an upturned, roughened path in its wake.

Perhaps, in a sense, the bird represents our liberation from fixed mind, and the inevitable suffering which is caused by our attachments?

And, reminding us, that it is only through our letting go that we may finally begin to know the waterbird’s freedom.

In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the essence of non-attachment – encouraging us to climb the mountain and look at the whole, without being bound by one side or the other.

There’s something really poignant in this image of looking out from the mountaintop –  without regard to where our feet may be ‘planted.’

Such is the power of an unlimited perspective, that it may provide us the means to transform even our greatest suffering.

So, how do we maintain such stillness of mind in an often unforgiving world?

To quote Sister Pine, by letting go and keeping in mind that which you really want.