I can see that the storms are coming
by the trees, which out of stale lukewarm days
beat against my anxious windows,
and I can hear the distances say things
one can't bear without a friend,
can't love without a sister.
Then the storm swirls, a rearranger,
swirls through the woods and through time,
and everything is as if without age:
the landscape, like a verse in the psalter,
is weight and ardor and eternity.
How small that is, with which we wrestle,
what wrestles with us, how immense;
were we to let ourselves, the way things do,
be conquered thus by the great storm,—
we would become far-reaching and nameless.
What we triumph over is the Small,
and the success itself makes us petty.
The Eternal and Unexampled
will not be bent by us.
Think of the Angel who appeared
to the wrestlers of the Old Testament:
when his opponent's sinews
in that contest stretch like steel,
he feels them under his fingers
as strings making deep melodies.
Whoever was overcome by this Angel
(who so often declined the fight),
he strides erect and justified
and great out of that hard hand
which, as if sculpting, nestled round him.
Winning does not tempt him.
His growth is: to be the deeply defeated
by ever greater things.
So, let's dive into how we see the world and how our imagination plays a huge role in shaping that view. Think of it like this – our minds create images, and these images aren't just reflections of our past or who we are. They're almost like little beings with their own wants and perspectives. When we engage with these images, it's not just about remembering things or understanding ourselves better; it's about experiencing life in different ways.
We're often drawn to simplifying things, making them fit into neat boxes or giving easy explanations. But what if we embraced the complexity of these images and ideas? What if we allowed them to be elusive, to challenge us, and to lead us down unexpected paths? It's like having a conversation with a friend who has a totally different point of view – it broadens our understanding and enriches our experience.
Our beliefs and assumptions also play a big part in how we see the world. They act like a pair of glasses, shaping what we focus on and how we interpret things. But what if we tried on different glasses once in a while? What if we entertained ideas without feeling the need to immediately integrate them or make them fit into our existing worldview?
This isn't about finding balance or wholeness in every moment. Sometimes, it's okay to embrace the messiness, the contradictions, and the uncertainty. It's like taking a bus ride – sure, it's moving fast and covering a lot of ground, but there are moments when we can pause, look around, and appreciate the journey for what it is.
So, let's be open to the possibilities that images and concepts bring. Let's be curious, flexible, and willing to let go of our fixed ideas. Who knows, we might just discover a whole new way of experiencing existence.
The Theatre of Selves
A dharma talk by Rob Burbea
Meditation Practice
I welcome the challenge of embracing the elusive, the uncertain, and the unexpected, allowing them to enrich my understanding and broaden my horizons.
During this particular stage, residues that have been stored in the unconscious from past experiences are released. These residues, which may consist of memories, traumas, or emotions, have been lying dormant, often forgotten or suppressed. They are now allowed to surface, providing a valuable opportunity for processing and integration.
On the Gods and the World“First, we must consider what soul is. It is, then, that by which the animate differs from the inanimate. The difference lies in motion, sensation, imagination, intelligence. Soul therefore, when irrational, is the life of sense and imagination; when rational, it is the life which controls sense and imagination and uses reason. The irrational soul depends on the affections of the body; it feels desire and anger irrationally. The rational soul both, with the help of reason, despises the body, and, fighting against the irrational soul, produces either virtue or vice, according as it is victorious or defeated.”
