Imagine if we were so clumsy one day that after spilling our morning coffee, dropping our keys down a drain then breaking a delicate ornament with our heavy touch, we were so cross with ourselves we decided to do something drastic...we decided to cut off the offending hand. How likely is it that we would … Continue reading Judgement
Tag: expectations
Why do you sit?
This is a question many non-sitting people ask and a question difficult to answer. When sitting, no words are required, no explanation, no thinking, so to have to articulate why makes matters hard. When speaking to people who have never sat zazen, my answer varies, but the core is always the same. When I take … Continue reading Why do you sit?
Reading between the lines
It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised, the mosquito is swatted.* To the drinkers in the beer garden, the wasp is nothing but an annoyance, yet to the gardener, the wasp is a friend who keeps down the greenfly and caterpillar population. Good can always … Continue reading Reading between the lines
Inspiration
Sometimes we expect too much of ourselves. Western society especially is driven by 'results' and we have come to expect those results in our personal lives, as well as our professional. Have you ever been stuck on a crossword clue, or forgotten the name of something, and try as you might, you cannot think of … Continue reading Inspiration
Gift
It's no co-incidence that present and gift mean the same thing. What a joy it is to be truly present, not to be split in two with our head always half in some other place. To really be present and to live in the moment is the most peaceful and freeing experience we can have. … Continue reading Gift
Expectation
To impose upon another any expectation carries a heavy burden, for both parties. Can one ever live up to the expectations of another? We are wholly different, however close we are - our eyes see things differently from one another, our hearts long for something individual only to us - so to hold expectations of … Continue reading Expectation
Love
Love is the most powerful force in the universe. It is not something measurable or quantifiable, there is no empirical proof or rules to govern it. It has a life force of its own, will appear unbidden and when you love, you know. There is nothing else like it. A mother's love for her child … Continue reading Love
Zen musings 