from Verse One Hundred NineteenHeaven and earth do not embrace just one being, yin and yang do not produce just one species. So it is because an ocean does not refuse water flowing into it that it is so immense; it is because mountain timber does not refuse the curved and twisted that it gets so high. Sages do not refuse even the words of those who carry firewood and thus broaden their reputation.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Enlightenment and knowledge can come from any corner. It can come from people who are older or younger than we are, more powerful or more impotent than we are, or more sagacious or less sagacious than we are.
When any of us become too full of ourselves and behave in a haughty manner, we close our eyes, ears and minds to the possibilities around us. We cast others or situations aside because we think there is no more for us to learn.
A cup can only be filled when it is not full. The same is true for our heart and spirit.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
When any of us become too full of ourselves and behave in a haughty manner, we close our eyes, ears and minds to the possibilities around us. We cast others or situations aside because we think there is no more for us to learn.
A cup can only be filled when it is not full. The same is true for our heart and spirit.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Today I came to the aid of a Sharp Shinned Hawk.
ReplyDeleteIt was wary, but unflinching as I lifted it from a corner.
Soft and grey above, like a dove, rusty red beneath, like a fox.
Warm and soft, cold and hard: eyes like meteors blazing in the dawn.
It delivered its message, thus aiding me, even as I aided it.
Human, it told me, see what I see. Know that you know what I know. Fly where I fly. Speak of it to the world so that the echoes of what you know are known to all.
I like this and I agree. I learned more about 'the mind' and myself when I was a street counselor working with people diagnosed with schizophrenia than I did sitting in a college classroom.
ReplyDeleteShinzen,
ReplyDeleteSame for me when I worked as a social worker with dysfunctional families and abused children.
Smiling.....hands palm to palm.
ReplyDeletei love this verse. wise people learn from the tiniest things. those who draw attention to themselves often have nothing of importance to say. it's important to listen to the truth even when it's not spoken.
ReplyDeleteIktomi,
ReplyDeleteI've said it before, but you are so wise for one so young.