life has some possibility left

joy from the archives

 

If you suddenly

and unexpectedly feel joy,

don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are

plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed

or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often

kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still life has some

possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes

something happened better than all the riches or power in the world.

It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant

when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.

Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid

of its plenty. Joy is not made

to be a crumb.

 

Mary Oliver

 

working in the dark


 

I had

dokusan with Suzuki Roshi

during sesshin. I felt lost and far from home

at that point in my life, and I asked him

if big mind was lost in the

dark, too.

 

He said,

“No, not lost in the dark,

working in the dark!” and he moved

his arms about, demonstrating. He said it was like

the many-armed statue of Avaloki-teshvara,

and he made the statue come to life

for a moment.

 

To Shine One Corner of the World

hard copy