Look for God and see nothing.
Listen for Tao and hear nothing.
Search for Allah and find nothing.
Without a willingness
to see, to hear, to find,
there can be none of these.
Faith is what sees.
Trust is what hears.
Devotion is what finds.
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3 comments:
Hello H.K.
Could you explain how to maintain a willingness in this complicated and emotional world?
Cherry blossoms have opened in Tokyo. They will be in full bloom after a week.
RTC:
How goes your time in Tokyo? I hope you're taking lots of photos, because I'm looking forward to seeing at least a few on your blog, especially the cherry blossoms. The redbuds have started blooming here just this week. Forsythia, too. Spring is finally beginning its arrival.
As for maintaining a willingness in such times as these, I don't know. I think my quiet sitting time each morning has helped a lot over the years. I make a choice to believe there's more than just this universe of time and space. What that "more" is, I can't possibly comprehend, but I love seeking it, asking it questions, trying to pay attention to its flow in my life. The more I look, the more I see -- but only if I'm willing to let myself see. If I'm not willing to let myself see, I can look all day and never see a thing.
Does that mean I create what I think I see? Maybe. Do I see only because I expect to see? Maybe. But people who are a lot wiser and a lot smarter than I am have lived lives that were rooted in their own awareness of Tao, God, Allah, Yahweh -- pick a title. So even if it's all made up, I'm in good company.
I also find that my "willingness to see" comes more easily when I'm grateful for everything in my life -- good, bad, and ugly. The good is easy. The not-so-good is harder, but I've learned that there's also value in darkness, and there are some things that we can only get through pain. When I'm grateful for everything in my life, it changes the way I see my life. I see more of the good things in my life that I might otherwise have overlooked. And it reduces the fear and anxiety I feel about the not-so-good parts.
And of course, I also live a richer life when I'm paying attention and living each moment as fully as I can. Mindfulness. Observation. Awareness. You know, the usual "be here now" stuff.
I also find that it helps me when I try to get along with others and to help where I can be helpful. It helps to spend at least some of my time with others. We are a communal species, after all. We need each other. This is one of the reasons compassion is universal and irrepressible. When I care about others and do things to help make their lives better, I find it easier to see the Divine in my own life.
Go figure.
I could go on, but I've already written way more than I intended. I hope you can find something useful in my rambling answer to your question. As always, thanks for your comment and thanks for reading.
Safe travels, my friend.
H. K.
Thanks, HK, for your "rambling" and your see, hear, find meditation! Your two thoughts for today bring to mind the biblical ask, seek and knock message and guidance. Again, you inspire me to be in the moment, mindfully.
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