Tai Chi Mantra August 21, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations,Philosophy,Wisdom Notes , add a commentHe had spoken on and off as we strolled around the lake on our daily morning walk. The sun had just risen and there was the faintest shimmer on the surface of the water inviting those who could see it to admire the natural elements with tender respect.
‘Your arms furthermore must be as strong as steel rods wrapped in cotton, with immense power concealed therein. But the root is in the feet. The force is launched through the legs. It is controlled by the waist and expressed by the fingers.’
We were discussing the finer points of Tai Chi.
‘When the hands, waist and legs move, the eyes should follow their movements. The mind is the commander… and the body is subservient to it. When the mind is tranquil, the movements will be gentle and graceful. It follows then that when the mind is a mess, the movements will be chaotic.’
This was the wisdom of understanding I yearned.
Needless to say, I remained silent for the rest of the day.
Eternal Contemplation August 15, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , 2 commentsI was at dinner the other night when I found myself talking about a piece of advice I’d received over 25 years earlier. As the story goes, my mentor Luis had answered a question I put to him concerning the deeper meaning of life. We were walking on the beach at the time and just as the sun began to fall asleep in the gulf of Mexico and gentle sets of waves curtsied at my feet, the philosopher within stirred.
I wanted to know what it might be like when the time comes to face one’s maker, as it were. If there is a judgment of sorts, I wondered about the protocol. I had never subscribed to the theory that a brutal and condemnatory meeting takes place whereby the evil misdeeds of a lifetime are laboriously dredged from a metaphorical filing cabinet and laid on a table for the chief prosecutor to evaluate. And yet, nor did I discount it. Needless to say, I wanted some clarity.
‘There are only two things of importance really,’ Luis said rather laconically.
I looked at him sheepishly, hoping for elaboration.
For a very long minute, there was an interminable silence. Then he spoke.
‘Who have you helped? And what have you learned?’
I thought that was marvelous!
‘The Evening Bell’ August 1, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , add a comment‘In the grandfather temple down the hill, the evening bell, solemn and bronze, rings dimly.
Can you hear it?’ the monk asked me.
I could and nodded.
‘Perhaps it is the slow beat of the mountain’s heart…
or the determined pulse of the pine, growing out of the crotch of the slippery monkey tree!
Perhaps they really are all one – the bell, the mountain, and the tree.
And to this add the steady cicada vibrato…
as well as the bark of that little white dog with a freckle on its cheek.’
Then there is the quiet artist priest…
fashioning a bamboo crutch for the ancient peach tree.
Yet, everything is cool under this vertical forest so he is not bothered by the heat.
‘And let it be known that all are seeking in this place…
Yes!
And all are finding in this place too…
Hidden yet open to all, you will see the spirit in the cedar’s heart, if you look carefully enough.’