Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?
A: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"When in doubt, don't.
- Benjamin Franklin
"When in doubt, don't.
- Benjamin Franklin
Posts
How to still a deluded, restless mind.
ReplyDeleteThe flowing spring says, “Listen as I
Cleanse your mind.” The chilled air
Says, “Let me keep you mindful.” The
Pond says, “Find your reflection in me.
No, not your human face, but your
Original Face from before your birth.”
And the dying leaves, fallen and falling
From the trees nestled in the bowl of
Mountain, say, “Follow me back to joy.”
And the earth says, "Go to sleep and let me take you for a ride around the world" :)
ReplyDeleteI’m convinced this drawing is about my meditation (sitting) practice. Sitting is the most important thing I do in my life, before fatherhood, being a husband, analyst, before everything. This is because, in sitting, nothing matters and, consequently, everything matters more. Sitting is the most important thing I do because it reminds me of what lies within. And it is within that I find my son, wife, patients, friends, all beings-- in short, my family. This drawing of Monika’s I found within, when I looked. I found it within my heart, where there resides what was behind and before me, and what lies ahead. I found within a direction that begins with intention. And the intention is to create compassion for all beings, without exception.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, this drawing is all about direction, as it points to time (past, present, future), space (within, without), and the stepping out of space/time as awareness itself witnessing what lies behind, before, and within us. Like the bear-like monkey sitting on the outside (shoulder) of awareness, we are in doubt. And like the calm, composed, confident interior self, we are open to our feelings and the within of our experiences. Both of these are inseparable. But, as sitting as a protracted practice reveals, it is in the awareness of the integration of the inner and outer aspects of experience that defines happiness. And it is happiness for all beings, without exception, that matters most.
Amitofu and thank you, Paul, all very well put! And so the strengthening of the "interior self" continues "beyond doubt & judgment" as in the next drawing :)
ReplyDeleteAnd YES, let's keep sitting. SARVA MANGALAM - may it be auspicious!