Meet me in the Zendo

We need to be wide open to receive!
Edda

Peace and joy!

It just takes a flash of light to shatter the darkness of countless eons.
But it takes more than just a flash of light to destroy the darkness forever.
A little light of the truth is good. But just a little light of the truth is not good enough.
That much light can only destroy that much darkness.
 
 
Let your lights shine

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

"You are the light of the world."  Matthew 5:14
If each one of us lets our light shine, how much darkness could be overcome in this often dark world.
One of us alone can't do it. The multitude of candles on this forum shows how many want to add to this light.
Edda

Peace and joy!

"Each of us has a genuine capacity for love, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion. Meditation awakens these qualities so that we can discover for ourselves the unique happiness that is our birthright."

 

Gassho,  rj                                        

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Alone in mountain fastness,
Dozing by the window.
No mere talk uncovers Truth:
The fragrance of those garden plums!

- Bankei (1622–1693)
 
'Right now' is all we have
 
We are what we think, it is never too late to change your mind

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

You can't play in the band if you don't know your instrument.
You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.
Listen, and you may become enlightened.
 
Get involved in your life by showing compassion for others.
Be aware of your breathing to let the thoughts subside.
Be still and the world becomes a miracle.
 
Two robins play in the fountain of my backyard.
The shower passes and a rainbow appears.
Listen, and the miracles happen.
 
gassho, rj

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

We must persist in regaining our beginner's mind.
Right now is all we have, the rest is just memory or conjecture.
What is happening right now is the manifestation of all your dreams.
Be careful what you wish for, is it best to consider all else
Before you take a step?
 
Listen for the miracle, it's here; not around the corner.
 
Your neural physiology is incapable of knowing what is happening right now.
By the time sensory information is transmitted to your central processor,
the present moment has expired.
We must have faith in the paradigm in which we live.
Be still, and know.

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, thank you for these thoughtprovoking posts. There is much to ponder in them. One lesson for me here is to live fully in the present moment, open to everything it brings and open to everything it requires of me.
Please, continue to share your wisdom with us,
Edda

Peace and joy!

What is Beauty ??
 
It is the acceptance of goodness over the rejection of evil
It is the quality that stirs or comforts the soul
It is the soulfull song of a lone wolf or the peircing cry of an eagle
It is the radience of a sunrise or the tranquillity of a rainbow
It is the gracefullness of balance or the irony of buffoonery
It is the softness of a kitten or the ruggedness of a mountain path
It is the stillness of a meadow pond or the clamour of a babbling brook
It is the sweetness of honey or the tartness of a berry
It is the mellowness of sweetgrass or the acrid aroma of vinegar
It is a love of this planet; it is the zest for living
If one reserves judgement beauty happens everywhere
 
gassho, rj

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Thank you, Richard! Beauty is everywhere if we just open our eyes to see it. I like to call it "falling awake"!
With every good wish,
Edda

Peace and joy!

I think life is amazing,and nature is beautiful beyond any words. china34doll

Dear Edda and Judyann;
 
My gratitude to you both.  I wrote that a few years ago on the morning I awoke to the voice that said, 'The greatest gift we receive in this life is the ability to love ourselves and shatre that with others.'  Immediately, there was beauty everywhere.  What a beautiful gift is our mind.  It allows us to communicate with infinite bounds; far beyond imagination. 
 
gassho, rj 

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Today's DailyZen Offering; http://www.dailyzen.com/
 
To escape the heat I sleep upstairs
Where a slight cool grows in the night:
A frog’s croak echoes in a stone basin,
Moonlight casts patterns through bamboo blinds;
I accept every sound and sight that’s offered,
The more detached, the more I hear and see;
A time of night I am so truly still
I no longer notice the mosquitoes
Buzzing round my ears.

- Kokan Shiren (1278–1345)

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Welcome back, Richard! What an appropriate offering for this time of the year! How can we translate this into our circumstances, windows closed tightly, air conditioning going on and off ( with lots of noise in our house), cool air blowing from the registers? I suppose I have to close my eyes and use my imagination!
Stay cool, if this is appropriate for your part of the continent!
Wishing you everything good,
Edda

Peace and joy!

You just have to love those old zen poems;
 
We're not that far from Chicago (five to six hour drive).  Temperatures over this past week end were 30 degrees celcius (ninety something farenheit).  I installed a new garage door and lost six pounds; all in water.  We only use a window mounted Air conditioner in the bedroom and turn it on for about one hour before bedtime.  Then we open the windows and enjoy freash air all night long.  I worked in air conditioning for many years but never really liked it.  If you noticed, you can adjust to the natural climate better than an artificial one.

cheers, rj

Dear Richard, thank you for telling me about your equally hot summer weather. I don't like airconditioning either, but our small townhouse is surrounded by buildings and difficult to air out properly. Also, the city air is not always very fresh! I never knew about AC when I grew up in Austria and perhaps it wasn't known here then either. We had high ceilings, thick walls and tall windows! Even now few people have AC there. And yes, it can get very hot there, too!
Edda

Peace and joy!

In the stillness by the empty window
I sit in formal meditation
Navel and nose in alignment,
Ears parallel with shoulders.
Moonlight floods the room;
The rain stops, but the eaves drip and drip.
Perfect this moment;
In the vast emptiness, my understanding deepens.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)
 
Two hundred years later, I percieve the same experience; only there is no moonlight at seven in the morning.
 
gassho, rj

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Dear Richard, there is no moonlight for me either, and my alignment is not so perfect, but there are moments, gifts, when all is still and open. Prayers or meditators throughout the centuries have experienced such moments and described them in their own way. I like your Zen (?) poem!
Wishing you everything good,
Edda

Peace and joy!

Life's Journey

No one else can take the journey for you.

Learn to use the compass which is your birthright.

Accept what is without emotion.

It is your thought that bothers you,

Not what happened.

For all the sounds that stimulate the ears,

Rainfall has to be the ultimate.

Without imagining a raindrops destiny,

Does it make a sound passing through space.

Enjoy thusness,

The present moment is all we have.

Awareness deshrouds meaning.

Nothing has meaning except what you give it;

Happiness comes from thusness.

 

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Thank you, Richard,for this thoughtful and beautiful poem!
I hope to learn to accept what is as is without passing judgment, easier said than done!
 
I am reminded of a poem I wrote some time ago:
 
ACCEPTANCE
 
Befriending what is,
embracing
what doesn'f feel welcome,
uncovering
beauty in what,
at first glance, doesn't
seem attractive,
discovering enjoyment
in tasks that appear
boring or disagreeable,
finding hope in
darkness,
accepting pain, knowing
that we are never alone -
all ways to find
peace in daily living,
unwrapping
the gift hidden
in each moment,
being fully awake
to what is.
 
Edda

Peace and joy!