words

Commentary by Hazrat Inayat Khan:

In spite of whatever wisdom we may have; we can make a mistake if we have no control over our words. And we can easily find examples of this truth; those who talk much have less power than those who talk little. For a talkative person may not be able to express an idea in a thousand words which those who are masters of silence express in one word. … What gives power over words? What gives the power that can be attained by silence? The answer is: it is will power which gives the control over words; it is silence which gives one the power of silence. It is restlessness when a person speaks too much. The more words are used to express an idea, the less powerful they become. It is a great pity that man so often thinks of saving pennies and never thinks of sparing words. It is like saving pebbles and throwing away pearls. An Indian poet says, ‘Pearl-shell, what gives you your precious contents? Silence; for years my lips were closed.’

the teddy bear

I once sat with another who spoke for hours about how wonderful and amazing teddy bears were

I listened and the other spoke non-stop

My mind wandered,

“….why would they think I have any interest in teddy bears…?”

“….what do I need to get done this afternoon…?”

“….how much longer do I need to look interested and engaged in this empty endless chatter…?”

a wondering mind about me….

and yet I contemplate

what are my own “teddy bear” stories and why would I assume anyone else is interested in them

why are we compelled to sharing empty talk with one another

at times some are so eager to fill quietness they don’t even listen to the others words…they only listen for the slightest pause so that they can share their own “teddy bear” stories…at times almost talking over one another as if in a competition to fill space with words essentially about “me”

where is love in the sharing of these empty stories….

 

and what of the teddy bears – surficially stitched projecting smiles – their emptiness filled with nothing but stuffing to plump up their being…..yes where does their heart lie other than in the imagination…

 

empty noisy fullness trying to fill quiet emptiness

containing nothing of substance

yet beings coming together again and again – simply being with another because the aching heart yearns real connection

yet the intermediary of mind always stepping in between – cloaking self in self interested likes and dislikes, wonderfuls and amazings

as if all the being can muster is filling the emptiness of separation and hunger for unity with vain chatter

 

if they only knew that to sit in silence and stillness with another and perhaps hold hands and share a view of nature unfold could be so much deeper

or to explore the meaning of the vocabulary of the heart could stir the depths of both beings

or share in the blessing of a beautiful creation of music or art without the interfering commentary of mind

or to lift one another out of their mindlessness and prompt the growth of their true essence of loving kindness to new heights

behold the teddy bear

 

 

 

if you feel a sigh

…its been preceded by a thought

a thought so strong it is reflected by the sigh of the body

the thought is so identified by the body that the body reacts as if the thought was somehow real like an object…

but a thought has no substance

it is not a real thing

the body has been allowed to react as if the thought/feeling is real

next time you sigh

notice the sigh

notice its source

notice the tension in the shoulders that comes with the sigh

and begin the path towards letting these suffering thoughts all go

the external vs internal self

so few consider

the interior and the exterior

even fewer venture to explore the danger of not pressing the edges of this envelop

like fools venturing ever further into the thinning ice

oblivious to the cracks beneath

yet listening deeply is our only hope

 

a stream

there is a stream constantly flowing

across the mind

as a child it flowed crystal clear

feelings and fleeting thoughts were so few they failed to mask the pristine waters of awareness

over time the waters became thick with ever heavier feelings and thoughts

gone was the sparkling clarity which so effortlessly reflected the dappled sun from above

and now as I sit next to this choking stream

I focus on the spring which feeds it

pure awareness still gushes from the depths

yet it quickly becomes clouded with knowing

and now I yearn for stillness

so that I may lean into the clouds of unknowing

for it is this imperfection that drives one towards perfection

for it is realization entwined with remembrance and regret that compels one with an urgency towards stillness

and now as I sit the sediment begins to fall from the waters

less and less detritus is added

the unknowing of the clouds gives way towards clarity of seeing

a clarity of being

beyond… a tribute to Thomas Merton

ah ha

to transcend big and small

to transcend good and evil

to transcend dark and light

to transcend subject and object

to transcend imperfection and perfection

to transcend self and no-self

washed up within the depths of nothing

as I was

as One was

before I was born

before One was born

al la

 

(inspired by Thomas Merton’s last writing, The Inner Experience)

caged within

my true self remains caged within

iron bars of imagined self contain it

at times my ego thinks itself to be free

following an epiphany

but alas it remains contained beneath yet another mirage

may nothingness arrive as a hungry humble beggar

may nothingness be embraced like a long lost son

may nothingness simply be