Yes, I am
truly a dunce. Living
among the trees and plants,
don’t question me about illusion and
enlightenment. This old fellow just likes to smile to
himself. I wade across streams with bony legs,
and I carry a bag about in fine spring
weather. That’s my life, and
the world owes me
nothing.
We can
aspire to be kind
right in the moment,
to relax and open our heart and
mind to what is in front of us right in
the moment. Now is the time. If there’s
any possibility for enlightenment,
it’s right now, not at
some future
time.
The place
that Solomon made
to worship in, called the Far Mosque,
is not built of earth and water and stone,
but of intention and wisdom and
mystical conversation and
compassionate
action.
Every
part of it is intelligent
and responsive to every other.
The carpet bows to the broom. The door
knocker and the door swing together
like musicians. This heart sanctuary
does exist, though it cannot
be described.
Solomon
goes there every morning
and gives guidance with words,
with musical harmonies, and in actions,
which are the deepest teaching. A prince
is just a conceit, until he does
something with his
generosity.
When we reach
the ultimate stillness, we
joyfully become aware that this mind
of ours is empty, without any things,
and extends infinitely in
all directions.
One person comes into
a country with a little cold or influenza
and it spreads. If such a bad thing can spread,
can not an elevated thought of love, kindness and goodwill
towards all men spread? See then that there are finer germs,
germs of goodwill, of love, kindness, and feeling, germs of
brotherhood, of the desire for spiritual evolution,
which can have greater results than the other
ones. If we all have that optimistic view,
if we all work in our little way,
we can accomplish
a great deal.