“When I am Among the Trees” by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
“Seijo's Two Souls” — Old Chinese Story
There was once an old man named Chokan, who lost his first daughter. As you might imagine, he was very attached to his second daughter. Sei was her name; Jo means young woman. Sei was very beautiful, and so was her neighbor, a boy named Ochu. The two of them were so cute together. The family would watch the two children playing and say, "Ah, what a great couple they make. How adorable." Chokan often said, “The two of you are so perfect together.”
“The Parable of the Good Samaritan” as told by Jesus the Christ
Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
“Finding Meaning in Life?” — Medicine path Podcast —an interview of John Vervaeke + Youtube Series: ‘Awakening from the Meaning Crisis’
Simple Overview of How:
Making pieces of information relevant to ourselves
Making pieces of information relevant to each other
What we are doing is (now becomes) relevant to others
★ The world now becomes a coherent arena for our action
“On the Power of Art” — quotations from ‘Sell Your Art In Healthcare For Artists’ by Renee Phillips
Georgia O’Keeffe remarked, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
“It is through Art and Art only that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence”, stated Oscar Wilde.
“The Way is ‘Wu’” by William Martin
In this divided world, how does one take action
without opposing, judging,
and trying always to fix the others?
Getting “them” to behave as I would wish
by argument, shame, or force of law is futile.
“A Persian Philosopher in Damascus” (excerpt) — Of Ancient Gods and New — ‘Jesus the Son of Man: His Words and His Deeds As Told and Recorded by Those Who Knew Him’ by Kahlil Gibran
I cannot tell the fate of this man, nor can I say what shall befall His disciples.
A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible. Yet should that seed fall upon a rock, it will come to naught.
But this I say: The ancient God of Israel is harsh and relentless. Israel should have another God; one who is gentle and forgiving, who would look down upon them with pity; one who would descend with the rays of the sun and walk on the path of their limitations, rather than sit for ever in the judgment seat to weigh their faults and measure their wrong-doings.
“Gratitude to Old Teachers” by Robert Bly
When we stride or stroll across the frozen lake,
We place our feet where they have never been.
We walk upon the unwalked. But we are uneasy.
Who is down there but our old teachers?
“Aikido Surprise” by Terry Dobson
A major turning point in my life came as an unexpected surprise one day in the middle of a quiet spring afternoon on a sleepy train in the suburbs of Tokyo.
It all started as the old train car was clanking and rattling over the rails. It was comparatively empty – a few housewives with their kids in tow, some old folks out shopping, a couple off-duty bartenders casually glancing through the sports section of the local newspaper. I was gazing absently at the drab houses and dusty hedgerows.
Then as the doors opened at one unremarkable station, the calm afternoon was suddenly shattered. A man on the platform bellowed at the top of his lungs, yelling violent, obscene, incomprehensible curses. Just before the doors closed, the still yelling man staggered into our car.
"The Explorer" (excerpt) — ‘THE SONG OF THE BIRD’ by Anthony de Mello
The explorer returned to his people, who were eager to know about the Amazon. But how could he ever put into words the feelings that flooded his heart when he saw exotic flowers and heard the night-sounds of the forest; when he sensed the danger of wild beasts or paddled his canoe over treacherous rapids?