witnessing the narrating
voice within
without wishing
to change it
what emerges?
the voice may be loud,
it may be insistent
no matter what it says,
you don’t have to
believe it
just keep listening,
welcoming what comes
and goes
if the narrating voice
falls silent
would it be missed?
mindfulness
mindfulness
effortlessly
observing
flowing
energy
noticing sound, breath,
the flight of a bird,
the gesture of a hand,
a thought, trees, the atmosphere
in the room, an emotion,
the changing light…
simply witnessing
what is present
without trying
to change it
living is vibrant,
intimate
when the mind is still
greetings to the spark
dear one,
greetings to the spark
that lights your heart
what a winding,
perfect road it has been
that brought you
to this moment
much baggage,
that seemed so necessary,
has been shed
softer now the glow
from your eyes
seeking
gives way to
knowing
the spark,
the great nearness,
shines
and spontaneously acts
the fog clears
years of conditioning
has created a filter
affecting how the world is seen,
how response to stimuli is expressed
this filter, this smudge on the lens
is unique to each of us
it is impersonal, yet viewed
as highly personal
you didn’t choose it,
neither did anyone else
it happened
and continues to happen
the mind may balk at this,
fret, sulk, put up a fight
until it yields
and the fog clears
cherish the season
what’s in season right now
as you look into nature
here, in the pacific northwest
it is rain, fog and gusty winds
creeks and rivers are full again
the birds, fish and animals
all flowing harmoniously
with the rhythm of the season
and the movements of humankind
follow their patterns too
no difference, we all belong
to the web of life
what’s in season
in your body and mind?
the body following
its patterns
the mind responding
according to its conditioning
what’s in season
in this brilliant never here before,
never here again breath?
with this lens
living is ephemeral,
emerging, impersonal
and deeply intimate
cherish the season
of now
what do you see
what do you see
in the picture?
where are your eyes drawn?
where does attention linger?
on the birds?
on the emptiness of the sky?
has your mind already
told itself a story about it?
maybe a recognition,
a flash of memory,
a like, or dislike
it happens so fast
doesn’t it
the commentary on
the feast in each moment
spontaneously
each movement arises
then fades from view
all appearing
on the backdrop
of stillness
beneath each sense impression
beneath each thought
stillness abounds
this gentle gift
i feel grateful
to have received
so much patience
from family, friends
and strangers alike
even pets and plants
have been patient with me
often have i overlooked
the wisdom and beauty in patience
now gratitude fills my heart
when it becomes aware of
this gentle gift
shining in every breath
what do you call
the overflowing
goodness
within
spirit, god, love,
the great mystery
within all
longing calls it by a thousand names
yet no word suffices
distant it may feel
yet it is always here
shining in every breath
does it not want to make you laugh
and put aside your fruitless worries
what will you find
playing our roles so well
that we can no longer tell
what’s mask,
what’s make-belief
what’s true
child, hero, jester, judge and many more
spontaneously appear on perceptions door
enduring they may seem
yet all vanish like a dream
behind the mask, behind the role
what will you find?
you’ve not been told …
with warmth and respect
how curious the transformation
when the unwelcome is met
with genuine warmth
and respect
a marvelous deconstruction
of the shell of fear
trust that everything
has arisen
to sweep a clearing
in your heart
a friend to all
that come to visit
no distance has to be crossed
when fully present
even the inner critic
receives kind attentiveness
in the presence of beauty
when the mind
perceives beauty
there is a rush
of stillness and aliveness
spontaneously
this happens
that you arrive
in its presence
and beauty transforms
living into loving
stay with it then
for the moment needs
the companionship
of your attention
long years of searching
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
