What is the beginning of wisdom?
Simply this. To say
I do not know.
Nothing more. This hard thing.
A sentence to utter often.
Practice articulating these words.
In solitude at first if need be, for familiarization.
One brief declaration, then stop.
Listen to what follows.
Open mind. Open heart.
Where do I take refuge?
If I build my happiness on external factors,
I will lose this. Always.
A futile task, as this brings short-term satisfaction
Which leaves me wondering where to go next.
My home will present problems
So that I move to find a better place. Again and again and again.
I think surely this time I will be content.
But there I am, and I remain the same.
I cannot leave myself behind
Yet I cast my unease as resulting from the wrong circumstances.
I want to stay in the place where I dwell
Without adding to my own suffering.
Just being alive can bring pain enough.
Let me learn wisdom, practice kindness,
Thereby to find peace.
Steam rises from the tea.
Consider these things.
When I lift the tea cup, I do so with wonder.
I do not think, “oh, if only I had a different vessel!”
When I sip the tea, I do so with appreciation.
I do not think, “oh, if only this were a different drink!”
This is the cup; this is the tea.
Right here; right now; where I am in this moment.
I drink with gratitude and enjoyment.
Consider your landscape and your place therein:
How do you move within this tableau?
A masterful stride that crushes underfoot, unheeding and careless?
A mindful walk that considers terrain, thoughtful and considerate?
Are you owner of all or simply another piece of this whole?
The answers we give delineate and determine our surroundings.
Interior and exterior, these are intertwined and essentially the same.
Trample unseeing the grass and insects; build without ceasing regardless of cost.
This befouls your very air and your indifferent heart. Death comes in many forms.
Remember other denizens have equal claim; think upon the welfare of earth, sea, and sky.
Understand this enables all to breathe with comfort in concert.
Easy? No. Your replies, my replies, our replies shape the common ground.
Think. Be aware. Transform your mind.
Let us gather chrysanthemums
For mourning in these perilous times.
Weave them into crowns of sorrow
For grief at lives taken in brutal war.
Scatter their petals on the wind
For sympathy with those who remain.
These are but the slightest gestures,
Tiny funereal floral tributes.
Do more where we can.
What do we take from our daily experience?
The constant barrage of information, be it correct or not,
Loudly demands we pay attention.
Rather than fostering any noetic pause for processing,
This noise by design fuels ongoing addiction
To strong emotion, usually of a negative character.
We need regulation to combat this, both societal and individual.
Let us learn to become responsible, not merely responsive.
We are both curators and creators of our inner world.
This cannot be separated from the outer.
How then shall we choose to live?
I sat in deep meditation and then.
I fell through a rabbit hole.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a bottle labeled “DRINK ME.”
I noted the beautiful label and examined it.
It smelled of cherry-tart, custard, and hot buttered toast.
I was tempted by this intriguing offer but hesitated.
A fierce rabbit appeared with a ticking watch and a mala.
I heard the deep tone of a singing bowl and awakened.
I see through the delusions of Mara.
Poisons often come in pleasant forms.
How do you survive when the power goes out?
Thus: During the frigid night, I piled up every blanket I owned on the bed
While Miss P and I shared our warmth underneath.
The next morning my taxi driver knocked on my door unannounced
To buy us both breakfast in a restaurant that somehow had restored function.
When we returned home, I found someone had shoveled snow from my door.
Finally the electricity was restored. But I had learned that light
Does not depend on wires or current. It shines continuously and all around.
Power is not a utility; power is community. Thank you all for opening my eyes.
