Weekly Reading

I have learnt silence from the talkative,
toleration from the intolerant,
and kindness from the unkind; yet strange,
I am ungrateful to these teachers.
~Kahlil Gibran

Weekly Reading

There once lived a man of great knowledge. His reputation as a scholar spread throughout the land and still he longed for recognition. And so it came to pass that this scholar sought out a Zen Master in a nearby monastery asking to be shown the true nature of the universe. But part of him wanted and expected the Zen Master to acknowledge his wisdom. The scholar was granted an interview and seated at a low wooden table. The Zen Master entered the room in silence, placed a tea cup before the scholar and proceeded to fill it with tea. The cup filled up and began spilling over the table, and still the Zen Master continued pouring. The scholar cried out in alarm "My cup is overflowing!" The Zen Master answered "Precisely!" and so ended the interview.

The story of the Tea Cup to demonstrates that knowledge without humility is in fact a handicap to learning. Complete beginners start with an open mind and listen to every word because it is all new to them. They know they are ignorant and so they do not fear to ask questions. The experienced student has heard most of it before, and not listening, misses the little that he did not already know, and so the beginner passes him by. A full cup can receive no tea.

Therefore, when breathing empty your lungs, when learning empty your mind; when loving empty your heart; and when worshiping empty your soul.
~Unknown

Weekly Reading

The Five Remembrances

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health.

I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

~Buddha (offered by Thich Nhat Hanh)

Weekly Reading

Katie's Poem
I bristle and I bluster
when the woman ten years younger
Says
“I am getting old”

I hear a ticking clock
in yoga
And then bird sounds and a chime
And I want songs
And not ticking
To accompany my dance

A ray of sun
A messy house
Opportunities
And choices
And wisdom, which I may choose
To listen to
Or not.

How will I hold these precious things?
How will I laugh through my frustration?
See how I chafe when someone treats me as ignorant
How often have I done the same to another?
Do I value the divine spark within
Every one?

Can I model grace?
Or is there something else
Wordless
That is mine to model?
Not seeking to become
But knowing
Like Ken said
I amPerfect.
~Kathryn Mansfield

Weekly Reading

Lost
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
~David Wagoner

Weekly Reading

PEACE.
It does not mean to be in a place
where there is no noise, no trouble
or hard work. It means to be in
the midst of all those things and still
be calm in your heart
(unknown)