Meet me in the Zendo

Edda; Spoken like a true practitioner, be well, rj

The truly still mind, with which you were born, is the mind that moves freely. Without ignoring anything, it reacts wholeheartedly to everything it encounters, to everything on which it reflects. And yet, for all that, it is the mind that is never seized by anything, but is always ready to react on the spot to whatever it encounters next. The mind that is still is the mind that never forfeits its freedom and is able to constantly keep rolling and rolling and rolling.
                 
                     - Soko Marinaga Roshi (1925-1995)
 
 
 


                                  

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, thank you for this quote! The challenge is in keeping this mind uncluttered, or to let go of what already impedes its freedom!
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Only when the mind is settled can it become quiet.
Only when the mind is quiet can it become still.
Only when the mind is still can it see.
And only when the mind can see,
Can it reach the mystery of mysteries.
This is the process that anyone who
Practices has to go through.
How long it takes is up to the individual.

- Yen-ch’eng
 
                            

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, these words ring true. This stillness that allows the mind -and the heart - to see is, I believe, as much gift as it is achievement.
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Edda,
Richard,

I agree. Both with what the text says, Richard, and with your words, Edda. Let me just add my conviction that it is not necessary, nor even good, for anyone to reflect on what stage someone is at. Moreover, it seems to me that we take steps forward as well as backward, nor do we ever reach any final goal as long as we are on our journey. "The graduate level of learning is when one learns to sit still and be what one has become, which is what one does not know and does not need to know". (Thomas Merton).

Juliana
_____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict

Just be
 

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

- Sutta Nipata Buddha
 
                            

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, to this I can only add "Amen"!
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

For food pure air,
For house white clouds,
For carriage clear winds,
For lantern a bright moon.
Honors, wealth and mundane things
Valued by most people
To the wise are not worth a glance.

- Hua-shan chih
 
                             

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, air, clouds and wind won't quite sustain my physical being but they point toward less being needed than we think. The things most valued in our culture, success, productivity, youth, physical beauty, and possessions, are ultimately not that important, they are transient.
"Love will never end."  (1Cor 13:8)
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Some words by Ste. Theresa;
 
let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal,
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.
 
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are borne of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your being, and allow you the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Thank you, Richard, for posting this because it is very special to me. When I was a young girl, I, like most other girls, had a book where friends and family members could write quotes, poems or simply good wishes. My father wrote for me the first half of these words by St. Teresa of Avila into my book. I still have it!
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Received in an email today:
 

“Why is the road to freedom so long?”
asked a troubled apprentice.
The master replied,
“Because it has to go through you.”

-an old Zen story, with thanks to Mark Nepo

Love is the only way

Thank you, Jude,

both for the story and for the link. Truly valuable.

Love,
Juliana
____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict

This was on www.dailyzen.com today, and it really spoke to me.  Thought I'd share it.
 










In the still night by the vacant window,
wrapped in monk’s robe I sit in meditation,
navel and nostrils lined up straight,
ears paired to the slope of shoulders.
Window whitens--the moon comes up;
rain’s stopped, but drops go on dripping.
Wonderful—the mood of this moment;
distant, vast.

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

To truly listen is to perfect one's own virtue.

Lori, thank you! Words that paint a picture of stillness and quiet peace and bring the soul to calm, stillness and rest.

Yesterday is gone forever.Tomorrow may not come. Live Fully each moment today. Look for Good Things that Happen to you Every Day.

All things rise and flourish
Then go back to their roots.
Seeing this return brings true rest,
where you discover who you really are.
Knowing who you are, you will find the constant.
Those who lack harmony with the constant court danger,
But those who have it gain new vision.

                             - Lao Tzu
 
                       

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

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Richard, it seems to me that the only constant is transience!
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Richard, you've posted one of my favorites.  I read it every morning before I begin my work to help transform my view. 
 
Lori

To truly listen is to perfect one's own virtue.