long have i searched for peace
when young, looking at a world in turmoil,
i believed politics and working for social change
would be the answer to lasting peace
discouraged and disheartened
i looked for peace in far off places, maybe
peace lived on an island or mountain top?
then i tried finding peace in religion, in
traditions, in holy words, in secret, sacred knowledge
still peace remained illusive
i wondered: would peace come with a soulmate,
in a deep relationship?
no object, no level of comfort,
no insurance policy would free the mind
from worry and discontent
maybe peace would come with
a dedicated spiritual practice?
or maybe if i finally acted in ways
that were socially acceptable
peace would be with me…
phew!
long years of searching
far and wide, mostly outward bound
slowly mind turned inward
and began looking for peace within
where it found a wonderland
of inner processes
meeting constant change in
strong and stormy emotions,
tides of desires,
shapeshifting, fragmented thoughts,
and presumed certainties
mind observed
that the core of unease and striving
was within itself!
simultaneously reemerged,
without any striving,
a wordless knowing
of ever-present peace
trusting
why so serious?
do you control the universe?
while the wondrous play
of life is unfolding
the mind continues to slog
through a fog of forgetting
mistaking its thoughts
for the true self
“don’t do it, let it be done”
the mystics have counseled
see how yielding stacks up
to the habit of striving to
control the outcome
under the influence
there are many gates
you have traveled through
your journey unique
and worthy of contemplation
string your pearls of wisdom,
of marvel and deep connection
that aided in gentling
your heart
recall insights and how
they arrived out of the blue
your mind flowering
under the influence of grace
what gates are opening now
welcoming your arrival
humbled and amazed
the question of
free will
had been decided
the mind made up
like a bed, comfortable
with itself
now cracks appear
in this once great certainty
of self-governance
humbled by the observation
that decisions made
on an empty belly
are not the same
as those of a full one
amazed
at the influence
of genetics,
the sway of hormones,
of cultural conditionings
and those pesky habits
that tag along each day
what remains
when they are all
set aside?
what is left?
what then governs the flow
of actions, emotions
and thoughts?
entering the palace of wonder,
the vast space of not knowing
is enlivening
to the mind that used to crave
and cling to certainty
deep in the heart
what a blessing
to sense the disquiet
that stirs deep
within the heart
that longs
amidst the
ever-changing
for the unchanging
it has no name, no country,
no politics, nor religion,
no currency to be bought or sold
let this stirring
light the way
with the power
of a thousand suns
waking up
in the monotony
of daily routines
it’s easy to forget
that life in human form
is short
and uncertain
what will matter
in a hundred years?
letting the seasons be
as they are takes courage
may the mind free itself
of misperceptions
and look with compassion
upon its current limitations
unconcerned with the faults
of others, it turns towards
the inner art of waking up
getting to know you
getting to know
the quiet hour
when stillness is near
when the eyes see
and the mind
sees beauty
when the ears hear
and the mind hears harmonies
how fleeting, how subtle,
how marvelous
this mystery
of living
the heart
overflows
i can not force
these moments
they come
in their own time
realizing this
the mind eases
into not minding
the loving pause
sometimes i miss
the split second
that avoids the unkind word
being thought, or spoken
and my communication
gets troubled
if this happens
i try to remember
the loving pause
then i feel and say
something like this:
i really want to
work this out with you
i am unable to be
present right now
i love you
is it okay to take some time
to connect with myself
so that i can be
more present with you?
this is practicing peace
in thought and word
reconnecting
after a while away
from myself
i long to reconnect
to the sweetness of living
it’s not far,
nor difficult
the child
in me remembers
how wonderful
it is
when bare feet and hands
touch the land intently
how the wind offers
freshness and hints of freedom
connecting with the elements
before fixed ideas can crowd in
finding
myself
interwoven in
the river of life
one intention
which intention aligns
the inner compass
faithfully
soft, vigorous
tendrils reaching
towards the light
while still in a body
that is mysteriously
aware
waking, dreaming, sleeping
reflecting life
in 10,000 mirrors
if i could have but one intention
born out of longing
what would it be?
the starting point
listening fearlessly
to the world
being able to be present
for our loved ones
needs wisdom
and compassion
how does the mind
become light again?
peace enters and
becomes contagious
when patiently tending
the inner garden
of suffering
and joy
trusting and returning
to the starting point
favorable conditions
a germinating seed
is a miracle
so many conditions
need to be in harmony
warmth and a welcoming soil
moisture and light,
space to grow into
each vital to its arising
now, is not each encounter,
conversation, quiet moment
a portrait of the seeds
within our mind
that found favorable
conditions to unfurl?
inner adventure
mindfulness
requires attention
at first this is an idea
later it becomes an insight
and the question pops up:
so what the heck is attention?
what attracts it?
what sustains it?
does attention ever tire,
or just move from place to place?
how soft can attention be?
how narrow, how broad?
i want to find out!
gently, persistently
again life invites me
on another great
inner adventure
it can happen anywhere
in the twilight of dusk
while taking out the trash
via the garden path
there was a carpet
of green weeds
with pale blue flowers
blazing in the fading light
how alive they were!
in a flash this
aliveness arced,
a moment of presence
flora and human
joined together
in the vibrancy of living
no feeling is final
what if things change?
quietly or quickly
they always do
what if i embrace this
truth wholeheartedly?
that there is nothing
to hold on to
that living
is witnessing
the movement of
flowering and fading away
of breath, cells and
thoughts
that no feeling
is final
how light living can be
when the mind
is a welcoming space
for the living flow
longing to be understood
let the birds tell you
their deepest wishes
and let the trees reveal
themselves to you
they too, like your kin,
long to be understood
listen, with much patience
and passion
your quiet mind
and undivided attention
opens the door
ups and downs
standing on the shore
trying to beat back
the tide with a stick,
no wonder i’m exhausted
Life pulses
with enormous energy
in constant motion
taking on shape after shape
why resist this Dance?
it’s ups-and-downs
are quite out of
the body-mind’s control
contradictions
holding
the bitter-sweet
of life
knowing
these flavors
intimately
each achingly valid
and fleeting
yet surprisingly
there is so much
space
in the heart
that it can contain
them simultaneously
at first
here we are, again
entering into contemplation
through this moment’s
gate of perception
in contemplation the shy,
the hidden come into view
much will be encountered
not all, at first, seems wonderful
yet even fear becomes a gift
and facing pride brings insight
observing what comes
without adding commentary
receiving all equally,
how impossible this sounds at first
wondrous then,
that quite naturally
it seems to move that way
all by itself
bursts of joy
beachcombing through the day
ambling, with senses keen
noticing a curious stone
a shiny shell fragment
in this moment
a simple burst of joy
making contact,
maybe carrying
then letting go, into
a new uncluttered freedom
hands and mind
open once again
this coming and going
of small joys
brings ease
to cloud-mind
relaxing, softening
healing through joy
