“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” Einstein
Sneak Peek
Tag: Mindfulness
Being There
“All beings are flowers blossoming in a blossoming universe.” Soen Nakagawa
Mindfulness, of Course
“Horses are mindful creatures. When we watch them closely, and we are not endowed with a tin ear, we can hear them thinking.” Erik Pevernagie
Spontaneous Human Combustion
“When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” Shunryu Suzuki
Welcome To The Machine
“We see things not as they are, but as we are ourselves.” H.M. Tomlinson
Food for Thought
“Don’t chew your worries, your fear, or your anger. If you chew your planning and your anxiety, it’s difficult to feel grateful for each piece of food. Just chew your food.” Thich Nhat Hanh, How to Eat
Tunnel Vision
“Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we’re really trying to accomplish.” Robert Cheeke
Awakening
“If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” Dogen
The Strawberry Tragedy
Charlotte Joko Beck in Everyday Zen explains a famous Buddhist parable: “A man was being chased by a tiger. In his desperation he dove over the side of a cliff and grabbed a vine. As the tiger was pawing away above him he looked below and saw another tiger at the base of the cliff, waiting for him to fall.
To top it off two mice were gnawing away at the vine. At that moment he spotted a luscious strawberry and, holding the vine with one hand, he picked the strawberry and ate it. It was delicious! What finally happened to the man? We know, of course. Is what happened to him a tragedy?
Notice that the man being chased by a tiger didn’t lie down and say, Oh, you beautiful creature. We are one. Please eat me. The story is not about being foolish even though on one level, the man and the tiger are one. The man did his best to protect himself, as we all should.
Nevertheless, if we’re left hanging on that vine, we can either waste that last moment of life or we can appreciate it. And isn’t every moment the last moment? There is no moment other than this. The man being chased by the tiger is finally eaten. No problem.”
