From the
Stone Tarot, the Two of Swords; from the
Buddhist Quote Cards,
Dhammapada 18:239 :
When I look at these swords through half-closed eyes, I can imagine two stubborn people standing with their arms folded. Those two 'people' are often in my mind - one firmly entrenched in one set of beliefs and the other with different ideas. For instance, I might tell myself to let go of a resentment, but another part insists on stirring the emotional waters to remind me why I should hate. Each side has a list of why I should or shouldn't adhere to certain thoughts, and I'm left feeling stuck. As a line in Stone's book of poetry explains, "Palindromes show us the truth: a thing turned backward stays itself." The
Dhammapada verse reads:
As a smith does with silver, the wise person gradually, bit
by bit, moment by moment, removes impurities from herself.
One of the precepts I repeat each day is, "I vow not to harm, but to nurture all life." In my younger years I was a human bulldozer, oblivious to how my actions and words affected those around me. Now that I am trying to change the way I think and act, it is clear how easy it is to tear things down, but how long it takes to rebuild again. The Buddha's words remind me that this path requires mindfulness, but also patience and tenacity. It is no longer about what I'm going to get out of it, but what will bring less suffering and more joy to everyone.
There are a few days that I still have misgivings about my younger days when I too 'bulldozed' through life. I am today a result of those days of learning. Hopefully I am a better person today because of my lessons of yesteryear. My wish is that I retain all those trials and errors into my next lifetime, not to repeat them all again.
ReplyDeleteI have found that when I focus on the 'don'ts,' I don't make much progress. But when I focus on the spiritual principle of what to do instead, I have a starting point.
Deletethank you for daily reminding me which direction I'm choosing to walk. I start out and then Ooo Shiny rock...
ReplyDeleteI too find distractions aplenty... :)
DeleteI can really see those two people, stuck and stirring, with mini-whirlpools developing around them!
ReplyDeleteFascinating quotes, too. What does it mean to be turned backwards? It reminds me of one of my uncles. In his early days he was a staunch ecologist and liberal. Now, he is a staunch christian missionary and conservative. The direction his energy goes in has turned around dramatically, but the way he expresses it is the same. So, rather than just doing an about face, we need that gradual process of purifying, which little by litte changes the actual way we approach life...
That reminds me of an atheist and a fundamental Christian -both have the same mindset, just different beliefs. I rarely get out of a stuck thought by not thinking it, but by doing/thinking something totally different but positive. For me, it would be replacing it with a spiritual principle of some sort.
DeleteThat's a great approach to take, Bev :)
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