Question A Week 3

What are you instructing yourself in?

Photo by Sarah Hannigan

Photo by Sarah Hannigan

“Every day

I see or hear

something

that more or less

kills me

with delight,

that leaves me

like a needle

in the haystack

of light.

It was what I was born for -

to look, to listen,

to lose myself

inside this soft world -

to instruct myself

over and over

in joy,

and acclamation.

Nor am I talking

about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,

the very extravagant -

but of the ordinary,

the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.

Oh, good scholar,

I say to myself,

how can you help

but grow wise

with such teachings

as these -

the untrimmable light

of the world,

the ocean's shine,

the prayers that are made

out of grass?”

~ Mary Oliver

Question A Week 2

Are you too full to receive what is available to you?

Photo by Sarah Hannigan

Photo by Sarah Hannigan

Is there a problem you just can't seem to figure out? Are you overwhelmed by everything that is coming at you? These questions remind me of the Zen parable of the overflowing cup.

Nan-in, a Japanese Zen master received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served his guest tea. He poured into his visitor's cup until it was full, and kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself and exclaimed: "It is full. No more will go in!" Nan-in stopped pouring and told the professor gently: "Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

Question A Week 1

What do we do with a mind that won’t stop?

 
Photo by Sarah Hannigan

Photo by Sarah Hannigan

 

The mind thinks, that is what it is designed to do. It will never stop. The more important question is what kind of relationship do we have with the thoughts that arise in our mind? Do we cling to the ones that we like and resist the ones that we don’t like? Most of us do. The Buddhists call this a recipe for suffering. Instead, they encourage us to become a witness to our thoughts, accepting whatever comes up without judgment. Easier said than done, but worth the effort, I can assure you.

This practice creates a pause, however small, before we react to the agreeable or disagreeable thought. With time, this pause gets longer and longer, creating more and more space for us to make a choice in how we react. For me this practice has been a recipe for more ease and freedom in my life regardless of the circumstances.