Category Archive

How much of our lives is a process of unlearning? I unlearn my despair to find my love. I unlearn my craziness in order to find my own capacity to discern. I unlearn my addictions by discovering the real joy of everyday life. Unlearning my stories about myself, unlearning my limitations, I find I am a completely free, a wanderer of the world, all loneliness departed, without a need to play any particular role for myself or others. I unlearn my judgments, and as I do, compassion naturally appears like water flowing through the cracks in an ancient wall. All plants receive this water indistinguishably — whether I happen to first see them as beautiful flowers or as weeds. A garden is a garden, no matter who planted it; no matter how humble the blossom.

I unlearn the day to find a storm of stars. I unlearn the night to find the unfolding petals of first light.

~Dan~

Today, the I Ching tells me how the Creative (Heaven) is tamed by Keeping Still (the Mountain).

Heaven within the mountain:
The image of the THE TAMING POWER OF THE GREAT.
Thus good people acquaint themselves with many sayings of antiquity
And many deeds of the past,
In order to strengthen their characters…

I know few “sayings of antiquity.” Except, perhaps, “I am that I am,” which is the oldest voice of the many voices I hear. A voice within the deepest traditions of culture–and within myself. It recalls not just the pure spontaneity of the child coming to consciousness, but more to the point, the adult sitting quietly considering the most important life choices. And it brings forward scenes of such rich experience. I think of important relationships, of moments of deep recognition, of moments alone in the mountains looking out from the highest point….and how lucky I am to live this life filled with treasures. I am that I am.

It is the genesis of so many stories. I sit again within the arms of my grandfather as he makes up yet another fable from his unending imagination. I once more lay my head against his shoulder. I sleep, so that today I am ready to hear the deeper resonances of all that life has to offer me — and how very transient that all is.

~Dan~