There is a story about a flower which is well known in the Zen circles. One day the Buddha held up a flower in front of an audience of 1250 monks and nuns. He did not say anything for quite a long time. The audience was perfectly silent. Everyone seemed to be thinking hard, trying to see the meaning behind the Buddha's gesture. Then, suddenly, the Buddha smiled. He smiled because someone in the audience smiled at him and at the flower. The name of the at monk was Mahakashyapa. He was the only person who smiled, and the Buddha smiled back and said, " I have a treasure of insight, and I have transmitted it to Mahakashyapa." The story has been discussed by many generations of Zen students, and people continue to look for its meaning. To me the meaning is quite simple. When someone holds up a flower and shows it to you. He want you to see it. If you keep thinking, you miss the follower. The person who was not thinking, who was just himself, was able to encounter the flower in depth, and he smiled.
That is the problem of life. If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything. When a child presents himself to you with his smile, if you are not really there thinking about the future or the past, or preoccupied with other problems then the child is not really there for you. The technique of being alive is to go back to yourself in order for the child to appear like a marvelous reality. Then you can see him smile and you can embrace him in your arms.
I would like to share a poem with you, written by a friend of mine who died at the age of twenty-eight in Saigon, about thirty years ago. After he died, people found many beautiful poems he had written, and I was startled when I read this poem. It has just a few short lines, but it is very beautiful:
Standing quietly by the fence,
You smile your wondrous smile.
I am speechless, and my senses are filled
By the sounds of your beautiful song,
Beginingless and endless.
I bow deeply to you
You smile your wondrous smile.
I am speechless, and my senses are filled
By the sounds of your beautiful song,
Beginingless and endless.
I bow deeply to you
"You" refers to a flower, a dahlia. That morning as he passed by a fence, he saw that little flower very deeply and, struck by the sight of it, he stopped and wrote that poem.
I enjoy this poem very much. You might think that the poet was a mystic, because his way of looking and seeing things is very deep. But he was just an ordinary person like any one of us. I don't know how or why he was able to look and see like that, but it is exactly the way we practice mindfulness. We try to be in touch with life and look deeply as we drink our tea, walk, sit down, or arrange flowers. The secret of the success is that you are really yourself, and when you are really yourself, you can encounter life in the present moment.
Thich Nhat Hanh
35 comments:
You're into Zen teachings? I'm into Reiki and Chakra Balancing. Was a few years ago, found it all again this year. :-)
Wonderful post, thanks for sharing. Have a nice Sunday :-)
Thanks Leigh, you do the same. I love all things Thich Nhat Hahn and could quote him every day all day long and never tire of his ways of seeing.
I do love Zen too. I find much peace and joy and love and compassion in "Zen." But then again, it was already there wasn't it, if only I had eyes to see.
:-)
For the record, I see this image as the gathering at Vulture's Peak where Buddha gave his famous flower transmission. I suppose many will see a flower in the image and that's the beauty of these images. Enjoy. :-)
A gathering and a flower. I see both clearly and they are beautiful.
You and I have stumbled upon the same feeling yet again. I'll be working a bit for the appropriate fractal.
Happy Sunday to you.
Aggie, I can't wait to see what you come up with. Hope the weather is as beautiful in Texas today as it is here. :-)
Story reminds me of something else I read today about how real beauty is neither seen nor touched but felt with the heart (wish I could remember it exactly, was awesome). Truly beautiful fractal, just an amazing piece of work!
Sunshine, you might be thinking of the Helen Keller quote:
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart."
Thanks for your very kind words dear. :-)
Yep, that's the one. Simple, but awesome.
If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything.
beautiful
Tree - beautiful fractal, beautiful story.
I confess, though, I would like to hear (read) more of your thoughts on these stories, rather than just the stories/poems/quotes themselves.
I think if a person recognizes something meaningful, they have something meaningful to share themselves.
Holly, I'm flattered you would want to hear my thoughts on ancient widsom. Thank you for that sincere and indirect compliment. :-)
Trace, when he says, "When a child presents himself to you with his smile, if you are not really there thinking about the future or the past, or preoccupied with other problems then the child is not really there for you." I am always moved to a stop. The truth and pain and joy of that one thought, an experience I think we have all had, just says it all.
Beautiful is a wonderful word to use here. :-)
Sunshine, I agree. I think only someone like Helen Keller could say that, and it would cause people to stop and reflect beyond simple platitude.
Holly, I'm reluctant to share my thoughts for a few reasons: (1) I believe the quotes or stories stand on their own; (2) I've spent much of my life pontificating and quite frankly I'm tired of sharing my advice or views and others grow weary of hearing one in such a mode--I really don't want to run people off because they grow tired of me; (3) As soon as I offer a view, it tends to shape or distort others' views and I would rather let what people see unfold in the comments and I do offer plenty of my own views in response to the dialogue that unfolds. Many times, no dialogue ensues and I offer none in that case. Most of my quotes go deep, yet I fully understand sometimes all one wants or needs is just a little eye candy.
Perhaps the best metaphor I can offer to explain my view is that of two people watching a beautiful sunset. As soon as one of us says something about the beauty of the sunshine, neither of us really sees the sunset anymore. We see our words and thoughts and concepts and memories and images, but the sunset is gone. The thoughts and words are always something different than the thing itself. This story of the flower speaks directly to that point--namely thought sits on top of reality like icing sits on top of a cake. I prefer to allow some time to let the sunset just be before we add our icing of thoughts on top of it, and it a way detract from a beauty that no words can improve.
Having said that, if you ever want to know what I think about an image I create or the quote or story I attach to it, I will engage and share to your hearts content, but you must be willing to meet me half way. Engage me. Tell me what you see or don't see. Ask me what I think and I will share.
Now, I've used up all my words and I sense you are probably tired of reading them, assuming you got this far down the comment.
;-)
The dahlia is a beautiful flower. This kinda looks like a new breed. I was going to say it looks like an alien plant - but thats too close to pods, huh? :)
Jack, that's funny. When I created this image, a flower was the last thing on my mind. This is actually the revised version, which I liked better than the original. When I see this image, I see the golden buddha sitting in an amphitheatre in front of his audience of monks and nuns. He's holding the flower, and the monks are trying to understand what it means. This image captures, for me, that moment right before the smile and the transmission.
Ok, so I meant to tell a story on my blog today but as you can read from my post, I cannot quite get to the point.
I'm going to, instead, attempt that here and then be done with it.
I was hi-jacked on Friday by a random hockey game. This is a good thing. I sure needed a distraction.
While sitting at the game I had an epiphany moment.
My manic brain began to recall past employment environments. I've always had close friends where I work and I was remembering some of the inside jokes we shared and our times of laughter.
My epiphany was this: I am having those moments in my current job. I am sharing jokes and laughing...but I am not experiencing those moments. I will someday look back on them and enjoy them. Why am I not wholly enjoying them now?
I hope that made some sort of sense. It fits entirely into "If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything."
I then let pushed my mind into the present. The cold aluminum bench seats, the smell of sweets, the clacks and bangs of the game. I let myself be surrounded by those things. It was wonderful...and this is going to take some practice.
That's a great story Aggie. I think the practice of staying present is the practice of a lifetime. One day at a time, one moment at a time, just pure here and now. As someone recently said, we are the pen on the paper of now, or something to that effect--lol. Just make sure the pen is on the paper, otherwise the paper of our life might very well be blank.
Isn't it odd how it takes a great deal of mental effort to be in the now?
I am chatting with you and reading posts but that isn't at all what I'm doing...really.
I am sitting, cross legged. I am typing. I am thinking. I am 18 inches away from this sqare screen of color and light. I am in a house that is a touch too cold. I am NOW in the moment. How very odd.
"but that isn't at all what I'm doing"
Me either. Maybe we should do it together. :-)
Ok..wow I have a lot to say about your comment, but basically what I came away with is this thought:
While I like to comment on your beautiful pictures and carefully selected text I often wonder about the man behind these choices and creations.
"I really don't want to run people off because they grow tired of me"...I'd personally rather only have people around who like me for who I am. Maybe this blog is devoted to beautiful fractals and awesome quotes and stories. I get that. Maybe you can start another blog just to please me (hehehe)
I'm just saying that I would really like to know your thoughts on things because when you choose a story, etc. it always seems to be so meaningful to me, which makes me wonder about the person behind the choice.
Oh...and I'll always read a comment as long as I see my name (or Lisa's) in it :-)
Oh Holly, how can I respond to that other than roll on my back put my arms and legs up in the air and make sweet eyes at you until you rub by belly. lol
Maybe private email is a way for me to have my cake and you eat it too. :-)
Delicate and peaceful. I liked the Zen teachings.
Gish! You mean no one but me gets to know the real you???
I think many of these ladies would protest!
Belly rubbed :-)
Oh Holly, love is not a zero-sum game.
Mmm, rub the belly some more. Yes, right there. Ahhh, didn't know I was needing that. :-)
*BiG sIgH* See, you already have my eyes glazing over. :-)
Karen, me too. :-)
Do you have any zen bananas. I think my fav, Jack, is close, since when one is with Jack, one is no where else but with Jack. I think that's pretty zen-like. lol
Yeah...my husband's eyes easily glaze over too when I start talking about the budget, or what needs to be done around the house, or what I want for Christmas, or how I hate my job, or complaining cuz I want to go out, or bitching about his mom or sister, or.....
:-)
Well, I think I have a solution for that. See me after class.
Ahhh...there's where the private tutoring thing is. Dang...I have to read all over the place now. I can't keep up. Whimper. Sigh.
Start the instructions now please. Oh wait. What instructions were you talking about??
Well first things first. We do have strict standards around here and the proper uniform must be worn for private instruction. Pray tell dear, are you prepared for instruction?
Um, I'm in my nightie...I know that's not the uniform you were thinking of. So I guess not.
Nightie. Mmm, perhaps an exception can be made in this case. Don't expect me to be this nice all the time.
shyeah. right.
word verification: boopjr
no kidding.
Believe the word verification. Don't question it. Look into my eyes. You're getting sleepy, you're eyes are getting heavy. Breath in, breath out. Slower. You're almost there. :-)
A great post!
Cheers;)
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