OK, one more poem, then back to prose, I promise. But I couldn't pass this one up while we are on the subject of how we react to what comes to us in life:
Guest House
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of all its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
--Rumi
What a wonderful sentiment this is, and what a change from how most of us live our lives. We think of ourselves as wrong or bad for having those malicious thoughts or wishing ill to others, but these are not who we are. At heart we are kind and generous and it is only when we despair of ever being anything worthwhile because we continue to think badly of ourselves that we fall into the trap of negativity. What an irony that all we need do is welcome these "unexpected visitors. Welcome and entertain them all!" And you will note that these are not our thoughts or feelings, these are visitors, who come from God knows where and go out the same way they came, if we let them. That's the problem. If we lay claim to the ugliness and silliness, the sadness and the pain, then they do indeed become the people we are, though only temporarily. As soon as we are able to recognize that we are something much finer than a person who could have such ugly thoughts or moods, we must logically conclude that they cannot be who we truly are, and therefore must be mere transients passing through.
The Buddha was very clear: we are already free and it only requires us seeing that for it to be true. But this seeing is not easy to acquire, only because it is buried under literally generations of conditioning to believe otherwise. What motivated our ancestors and ourselves to bury this light so deeply? It can be nothing but fear, and fear has never yet led to the light. Yes, we will feel fear, but like the other visitors, we can let it pass on through, no matter what shambles it may leave behind, because we know that we have treated it with the respect and dignity all our guests deserve. What a joy to realize that I am merely landlord to a rowdy bunch of ne'er-do-wells and not a person undeserving of all that is good. This is the core truth of who we are.
Guest House
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of all its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
--Rumi
What a wonderful sentiment this is, and what a change from how most of us live our lives. We think of ourselves as wrong or bad for having those malicious thoughts or wishing ill to others, but these are not who we are. At heart we are kind and generous and it is only when we despair of ever being anything worthwhile because we continue to think badly of ourselves that we fall into the trap of negativity. What an irony that all we need do is welcome these "unexpected visitors. Welcome and entertain them all!" And you will note that these are not our thoughts or feelings, these are visitors, who come from God knows where and go out the same way they came, if we let them. That's the problem. If we lay claim to the ugliness and silliness, the sadness and the pain, then they do indeed become the people we are, though only temporarily. As soon as we are able to recognize that we are something much finer than a person who could have such ugly thoughts or moods, we must logically conclude that they cannot be who we truly are, and therefore must be mere transients passing through.
The Buddha was very clear: we are already free and it only requires us seeing that for it to be true. But this seeing is not easy to acquire, only because it is buried under literally generations of conditioning to believe otherwise. What motivated our ancestors and ourselves to bury this light so deeply? It can be nothing but fear, and fear has never yet led to the light. Yes, we will feel fear, but like the other visitors, we can let it pass on through, no matter what shambles it may leave behind, because we know that we have treated it with the respect and dignity all our guests deserve. What a joy to realize that I am merely landlord to a rowdy bunch of ne'er-do-wells and not a person undeserving of all that is good. This is the core truth of who we are.
No comments:
Post a Comment