Come,
Come with me to a spring garden all day tomorrow
Let’s play in the dirt with our hands and pull out the weed
Let’s taste the tangy wild spring onions
Let’s plant tomatoes, parsley, and green peppers
Let’s feel the sun’s heat on our back,
And a cool breeze on our cheek
Let’s listen for the music hidden in the reed
Let’s observe beauty in one grain as we must
Let’s satisfy our hunger with just one seed
Shake, flap, and open our wings, and fly free.
Rezvan 2006
Monday, December 29, 2008
Divine Tapestry
Dear love
An untold story
Sadness in the night,
And the morning glory
This story
If it is to be told
Will be woven of fine wool, silk, and
Of silver and of gold
Delicate threads
In need of masterful hands
Weaving tenderly
For the exquisite designs to unfold.
Rezvan
An untold story
Sadness in the night,
And the morning glory
This story
If it is to be told
Will be woven of fine wool, silk, and
Of silver and of gold
Delicate threads
In need of masterful hands
Weaving tenderly
For the exquisite designs to unfold.
Rezvan
Grace
When the white mouthed waves of anguish
Bow out in to the distance
And give way to stillness
When the sharp teeth of wounds and fears
Loosen their grip on the flesh
And give way to tranquility
I swim freely among the wonderful creatures of the depth
With gratitude, love, and grace.
-Rezvan
Bow out in to the distance
And give way to stillness
When the sharp teeth of wounds and fears
Loosen their grip on the flesh
And give way to tranquility
I swim freely among the wonderful creatures of the depth
With gratitude, love, and grace.
-Rezvan
A Walk in the Forest
I am so glad I ventured in to the forest today,
On a path I did not know,
Hesitant,
I am so glad I pressed on and did not walk back,
I am so glad I was frightened, and then
I was not.
On that long, slippery, frozen path,
I saw
Hurricane Katrina and broken levies in New Orleans,
The poor woman brutally lost in the woods in Georgia,
The kidnapped reporter beheaded in Iraq,
The little girl found lifeless in the closet of her abuser
And, the last guy who parted with life on the electric chair.
I gladly saw them, there was horror in my heart, and I prayed,
That they met the ending of life with surrender and dignity,
For only then I rest in the awareness,
That this life, the one I call mine, too,
Will meet the ending with surrender and dignity,
I am so glad I was here today,
And took a walk in the forest.
Rezvan 2008.
On a path I did not know,
Hesitant,
I am so glad I pressed on and did not walk back,
I am so glad I was frightened, and then
I was not.
On that long, slippery, frozen path,
I saw
Hurricane Katrina and broken levies in New Orleans,
The poor woman brutally lost in the woods in Georgia,
The kidnapped reporter beheaded in Iraq,
The little girl found lifeless in the closet of her abuser
And, the last guy who parted with life on the electric chair.
I gladly saw them, there was horror in my heart, and I prayed,
That they met the ending of life with surrender and dignity,
For only then I rest in the awareness,
That this life, the one I call mine, too,
Will meet the ending with surrender and dignity,
I am so glad I was here today,
And took a walk in the forest.
Rezvan 2008.
Kindness
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the
Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept
him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow
as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day
to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where
like a shadow or a friend.
[by Naomi Shihab Nye]
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness, you must travel where the
Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept
him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow
as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day
to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where
like a shadow or a friend.
[by Naomi Shihab Nye]
By: Nikki Giovanni
And if ever I touched a life I hope that life
knows that I know that touching
Was and still is and will always be The true revolution
knows that I know that touching
Was and still is and will always be The true revolution
On Desire
(Adapted from Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach)
Desire is not an enemy. It is not bad. It is natural. The pull of desire is part of our survival equipment. It keeps us eating, having sex, going to work, and do what we do to thrive. It is the source of life’s energy, the energy that can lead to profound awakening. But, this same life energy can lead to suffering when it takes over our sense of who we are. It is not the “desire” itself, rather the way in which we relate to desire that can become the source of suffering. The mindful way of relating to desire is to notice without either getting possessed by it or resisting it. This is true for every level of desire from small preferences to the most compelling cravings. We are mindful of desire when we experience it with an embodied awareness, recognizing the sensations and thoughts of wanting as arising and passing phenomena. Not reacting rather responding to desire when we choose. Grasping on to what we desire and gives us pleasure is part of our conditioning. The “wanting mind” blinds us to our deeper longings and keeps us trapped in our cravings. Freedom begins when we pause and pay close attention to our experience. When we pause, become physically still and pay close attention to the nature of the desire, the feelings and sensations in the body, and the thoughts and feelings that arise, then we make room for mindful inquiry.
When we bring the myriad of our desires into the light of awareness, we will find beneath them our core longings. Pause and ask what does my heart long for? Our initial answer may be to be healthy, to lose weight, to make more money, to find a partner. Ask again and listen deeply. Accepting whatever arises. As we listen, our deepest longings will emerge. They may be expressed as longing for love, presence, peace, communion, harmony, beauty, truth, or freedom.
It is not easy, but we can open fully to the natural force of desire and remain free in its midst with pausing, paying close attention, and accepting what arises.
Desire is not an enemy. It is not bad. It is natural. The pull of desire is part of our survival equipment. It keeps us eating, having sex, going to work, and do what we do to thrive. It is the source of life’s energy, the energy that can lead to profound awakening. But, this same life energy can lead to suffering when it takes over our sense of who we are. It is not the “desire” itself, rather the way in which we relate to desire that can become the source of suffering. The mindful way of relating to desire is to notice without either getting possessed by it or resisting it. This is true for every level of desire from small preferences to the most compelling cravings. We are mindful of desire when we experience it with an embodied awareness, recognizing the sensations and thoughts of wanting as arising and passing phenomena. Not reacting rather responding to desire when we choose. Grasping on to what we desire and gives us pleasure is part of our conditioning. The “wanting mind” blinds us to our deeper longings and keeps us trapped in our cravings. Freedom begins when we pause and pay close attention to our experience. When we pause, become physically still and pay close attention to the nature of the desire, the feelings and sensations in the body, and the thoughts and feelings that arise, then we make room for mindful inquiry.
When we bring the myriad of our desires into the light of awareness, we will find beneath them our core longings. Pause and ask what does my heart long for? Our initial answer may be to be healthy, to lose weight, to make more money, to find a partner. Ask again and listen deeply. Accepting whatever arises. As we listen, our deepest longings will emerge. They may be expressed as longing for love, presence, peace, communion, harmony, beauty, truth, or freedom.
It is not easy, but we can open fully to the natural force of desire and remain free in its midst with pausing, paying close attention, and accepting what arises.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be cleaning you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.
[RUMI, Translation by Coleman Barks]
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be cleaning you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.
[RUMI, Translation by Coleman Barks]
Road not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Some where ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
[Robert Frost ]
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Some where ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference
[Robert Frost ]
Universality & Uniqueness of Human Experience
Experiences are unique and universal all at once. We all breathe, think, have emotions, feel anger, fear, love, hear sounds, experience physical and psychological pain. Yet each of these experiences in the moment is unique to that moment. No experience is repeated the exact same way, i.e. “you cannot put your toe in the same river twice”!
The universality of human experiences helps in the practice of mindfulness. It helps to detach from experiences as “I, me, my, mine” and increases the ability to become a mindful observer of one's own experiences. When focused on the breath as an anchor in meditation, experiment with viewing it as “a breath” rather than “my breath”. When attending to the sensations in the body, consider them “sensations in the body” not “sensations in my body”. When attending to thoughts or feelings, consider labeling them as “thoughts” or “worry thoughts” or “busy thoughts” or… in the area of feelings consider “this is anger” or “this is sadness” …instead of “I am angry” or “I am sad”…In the area of physical pain or discomfort consider “this is pain in the knee--this is what pain in the knee feels like…” in place of “this is my pain”.
The ability to disentangle and detach from identification with experiences is the essence of mindfulness and diminishes the human suffering.
The universality of human experiences helps in the practice of mindfulness. It helps to detach from experiences as “I, me, my, mine” and increases the ability to become a mindful observer of one's own experiences. When focused on the breath as an anchor in meditation, experiment with viewing it as “a breath” rather than “my breath”. When attending to the sensations in the body, consider them “sensations in the body” not “sensations in my body”. When attending to thoughts or feelings, consider labeling them as “thoughts” or “worry thoughts” or “busy thoughts” or… in the area of feelings consider “this is anger” or “this is sadness” …instead of “I am angry” or “I am sad”…In the area of physical pain or discomfort consider “this is pain in the knee--this is what pain in the knee feels like…” in place of “this is my pain”.
The ability to disentangle and detach from identification with experiences is the essence of mindfulness and diminishes the human suffering.
Longing for the angel
…
that one can contain
death, the whole of death, even before
life has begun, can hold it to one's heart
gently, and not refuse to go on living,
is inexpressible.
[Rilke]
that one can contain
death, the whole of death, even before
life has begun, can hold it to one's heart
gently, and not refuse to go on living,
is inexpressible.
[Rilke]
Hokusai Says
Hokusai says
Look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing.
He says look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat yourself
as long as it's interesting.
He says keep doing what you love.
He says keep praying.
He says every one of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient,
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says every one of us has to find a way
to live with fear.
He says everything is alive -
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees.
Wood is alive.Water is alive.
Everything has its own life.
Everything lives inside us.
He says live with the world inside you.
He says it doesn't matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn't matter
if you saw wood, or catch fish.
It doesn't matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on your verandah
or the shadows of the trees
and grasses in your garden.
It matters that you care.
It matters that you feel.
It matters that you notice.
It matters that life lives through you.
Contentment is life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
are life living through you.
Peace is life living through you.
He says don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
Look, feel, let life take you by the hand.
Let life live through you.
Hokusai Says
[by Roger Keyes ]
Look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing.
He says look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat yourself
as long as it's interesting.
He says keep doing what you love.
He says keep praying.
He says every one of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient,
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says every one of us has to find a way
to live with fear.
He says everything is alive -
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees.
Wood is alive.Water is alive.
Everything has its own life.
Everything lives inside us.
He says live with the world inside you.
He says it doesn't matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn't matter
if you saw wood, or catch fish.
It doesn't matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on your verandah
or the shadows of the trees
and grasses in your garden.
It matters that you care.
It matters that you feel.
It matters that you notice.
It matters that life lives through you.
Contentment is life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
are life living through you.
Peace is life living through you.
He says don't be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
Look, feel, let life take you by the hand.
Let life live through you.
Hokusai Says
[by Roger Keyes ]
Love After Love
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
[by Derek Wolcott]
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
[by Derek Wolcott]
Ten Thousand Idiots
It is always a danger
To aspirants
On the
Path
When they begin
To believe and
Act
As if the ten thousand idiots
Who so long ruled
And livedInside
Have all packed their bags
And skipped town
Or
Died.
Hafez
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
To aspirants
On the
Path
When they begin
To believe and
Act
As if the ten thousand idiots
Who so long ruled
And livedInside
Have all packed their bags
And skipped town
Or
Died.
Hafez
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
Who are we?
"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." -- Albert Einstein
At the End of the Year
The particular mind of the ocean
Filling the coastline’s longing
With such brief harvest
Of elegant, vanishing waves
Is like the mind of time
Opening us shapes of days.
As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them.
The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight;
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here.
Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectation seemed to have quenched.
The slow, brooding times
When all was awkward
And the wave in the mind
Pierced every sore with salt.
The darkened days that stopped
The confidence of the dawn.
Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.
We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.
[by John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us]
Filling the coastline’s longing
With such brief harvest
Of elegant, vanishing waves
Is like the mind of time
Opening us shapes of days.
As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them.
The days when the veil lifted
And the soul could see delight;
When a quiver caressed the heart
In the sheer exuberance of being here.
Surprises that came awake
In forgotten corners of old fields
Where expectation seemed to have quenched.
The slow, brooding times
When all was awkward
And the wave in the mind
Pierced every sore with salt.
The darkened days that stopped
The confidence of the dawn.
Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.
We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.
[by John O’Donohue from To Bless the Space Between Us]
Blessing (BEANNACHT)
On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.
And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The gray window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colors,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
In the curach* of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.
[for his mother Josie, John O’Donohue: to Bless the Space Between Us]
*Curach or Currach or Curagh: Gaelic (Irish) word for boat
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.
And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The gray window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colors,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
In the curach* of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.
[for his mother Josie, John O’Donohue: to Bless the Space Between Us]
*Curach or Currach or Curagh: Gaelic (Irish) word for boat
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Subject Tonight Is Love
The subject tonight is love
and for tomorrow night as well
as a matter of fact
I know of no other topic
for us to discuss
until we all
die!
Hafiz-Daniel Ladinsky translation
and for tomorrow night as well
as a matter of fact
I know of no other topic
for us to discuss
until we all
die!
Hafiz-Daniel Ladinsky translation
Sources of Suffering
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
We all experience pain. Pain plus resistance equals suffering.
Our nervous system is naturally inclined to have us avoid unpleasant experiences and seek out pleasant experiences. To the extent this mechanism dictates our behavior; we are vulnerable to the suffering that result from craving the pleasant or the aversion to the unpleasant. This is different from “noticing” what is pleasant or unpleasant in the moment. It is the “attachment” to the outcome that keeps up the entrapment.
Living in the moment and living for the moment are fundamentally different experiences. The former alleviates suffering and the latter promotes it. When we can let go of our attachments or aversions, we can become liberated from this trap. Again, this does not mean that we will not optimize pleasant experiences in life or reduce the possibility of unpleasant experiences. To notice one's experience, no matter the nature of that experience, is to be mindful. To be controlled by the experience either by avoidance, grabbing, or greed, promotes suffering.
By "suffering", I don't necessarily mean great suffering, but even small amounts of dissatisfaction or irritation. These irritations can occur throughout the day, even below our conscious awareness, and yet have a profound impact on the quality of our life.
The antidote to suffering -- great and small -- is letting go and detachment—paying attention to what is, to bring self to here and now. The only real step is the one you are taking right now – the rest is illusion and product of the mind – past is an illusion and future is an illusion, both are in the mind and not real.
We all experience pain. Pain plus resistance equals suffering.
Our nervous system is naturally inclined to have us avoid unpleasant experiences and seek out pleasant experiences. To the extent this mechanism dictates our behavior; we are vulnerable to the suffering that result from craving the pleasant or the aversion to the unpleasant. This is different from “noticing” what is pleasant or unpleasant in the moment. It is the “attachment” to the outcome that keeps up the entrapment.
Living in the moment and living for the moment are fundamentally different experiences. The former alleviates suffering and the latter promotes it. When we can let go of our attachments or aversions, we can become liberated from this trap. Again, this does not mean that we will not optimize pleasant experiences in life or reduce the possibility of unpleasant experiences. To notice one's experience, no matter the nature of that experience, is to be mindful. To be controlled by the experience either by avoidance, grabbing, or greed, promotes suffering.
By "suffering", I don't necessarily mean great suffering, but even small amounts of dissatisfaction or irritation. These irritations can occur throughout the day, even below our conscious awareness, and yet have a profound impact on the quality of our life.
The antidote to suffering -- great and small -- is letting go and detachment—paying attention to what is, to bring self to here and now. The only real step is the one you are taking right now – the rest is illusion and product of the mind – past is an illusion and future is an illusion, both are in the mind and not real.
Wild Salmons
The meandering river of my soul
travels through its rocky bed
wild splashing salmons of my existence
know nothing of the reasons
for such a long and magnificent journey.
In the end
both yearn
to join the vast ocean
that is their source and their destiny.
-Rezvan
travels through its rocky bed
wild splashing salmons of my existence
know nothing of the reasons
for such a long and magnificent journey.
In the end
both yearn
to join the vast ocean
that is their source and their destiny.
-Rezvan
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