Wisdom Through the Ages
Plucking cherry chrystanthemums by the east hedge
I catch sight of the South Mountain
so gorgeous in the dusk.
flying birds return wing to wing
here contains the beauty of truth
To tell? Already words are forgotten.
— Li Po
When the leaves fall from the trees, they follow the wind,
and if they happen to drop on the water they just follow the
currents.
Your movement and your life can also become an easy happening
that follows the wind and the currents.
— Chungliang Al Huang
Life is a good teacher and a good friend.
Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it.
Nothing ever sums itself up in the way that we like to dream about.
The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation,
a situation in which we . . . can open our hearts and minds
beyond limit . . .
— Pema Chodron,
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
The present moment is where life is found, and if you don’t arrive there,
you miss your appointment with life. You don’t have to run anymore.
Breathing in, we say, “I have arrived.” Breating out, we say “I am home.”
This is a very strong practice and a very deep practice.
— Thich Nhat Hanh
You ask why I’ve settled in these emerald mountains,
and so I smile, mind at ease of itself, and say nothing.
Peach blossoms drift downstream away deep in mystery:
it’s another heaven and earth, nowhere among people.
— Li Po
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet.
Around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
Where I left them, asleep like cattle . . .
—Wendell Berry
