The human language can be incredibly complicated. An apt example at this wintery time of year is the oral concept of snow. It is understood the Inuits have over 50 words for arctic conditions, and the Russians have 70. The Scots are said to have over 400! If you read the word saw, what would … Continue reading Interpretation
Tag: opposites
Sea of Consciousness
The mind is like the sea. Sometimes it is still and serene, at other times turbulent, troubled. It's depths are unfathomable and we do not know all that lurks there. It is made up of millions of tiny droplets, just like our minds have countless thoughts and processes, yet it is all connected together, the … Continue reading Sea of Consciousness
Viewpoint
Have you ever stood on the top of a very high cliff and looked out across the vast ocean, watched the birds soaring below you and the waves crashing further below them? Then have you taken a boat out and paddled beneath those very cliffs and seen the sights from this opposite angle? Whenever we … Continue reading Viewpoint
Black and White
We know that nothing is just one thing and not another. Every colour holds traces of every other colour, just as species are related, languages are similar, thoughts, feelings and emotions cross all boarders. Nothing is black and white and that in itself is something to celebrate – as we can never tire of the … Continue reading Black and White
Crisis
Remember the balance. Where there is black, there is white. Where there is bad there is good. Opposites can only exist together and we should let that be a source of comfort in times of trouble and worry. There has never been a more poignant moment in humankind’s recent history for us to be truly … Continue reading Crisis
Walking the line
Life is full of opposites - great joy, deep grief, love and hate, right and wrong - and it's a fine line to walk between them. We are here, we are alive and part of that is experiencing life to the full, the full range - to do justice to our existence. But at the … Continue reading Walking the line
Timeless.
We talk in terms of opposites. We had a good meal, or a bad night's sleep. We felt cold as opposed to hot, happy in contrast to sad. Time is also viewed in such a way. We talk about the past or the future - but even when we talk about the present moment, we … Continue reading Timeless.
Duality
Duality is a figment of our imagination. There cannot be good without evil, up without down, so you cannot feel happier, hungrier, wealthier without the opposite existing in your mind. The illusion of this significant difference only arises in moments of contrast. I was happy yesterday, but today I feel sad. I only know I … Continue reading Duality
Zen musings 