A master once described the journey to enlightenment as "like filling a sieve with water". When a woman questioned this master on his meaning, he gave her a sieve and a cup and they went to the sea, where he asked her to fill the sieve with water. She poured a cupful of water into the sieve. It was instantly gone.
"Spiritual practice is the same," the master explained, "if we stand on the rock of 'I', and try to ladle the divine realization in. That's not the way to fill the sieve with water nor the self with divine life."
He took the sieve and threw it into the sea, where it sank. "Now it's full of water, and will remain so. That's spiritual practice. It is not ladling little cupfuls into the individuality, but becoming totally immersed in the sea of divine life."
All good things must come to an end - some sooner than later. And I am telling you this because As Within has come to a close, at least for now. It's been a lot of fun, and I have very much enjoyed sharing these pictures and the inspiring quotes to go with them. If you are curious to know why this blog is on hiatus, you can visit this post at shirleytwofeathers. Each person who visited here is deeply appreciated. Thank you so much for giving me an audience and (on my worst days) a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Here is a Zen story
Labels: stories | Hotlinks: DiggIt! Del.icio.us
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