The excerpt reported below is from the Tibetan book of living and dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.
I found this poem so funny in some ways and so real at the same time.
If only we would bring more awareness on our own thoughts and actions rather than pointing the finger outward…we would be so much ahead of the game….in this process of expansion that life is.…
1)I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in it.
I am lost…..I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
2)I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I’m in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
3)I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in….it’s a habit
My eyes are open
I know where I am
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
4)I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I walk around it.
5)I walk down another street.
We always want to have an escape, and sometime the escape could even be an uncomfortable but familiar situation.
So what if one day , may be not today, but after reading a book or taking a yoga class or after meditation or after talking with a friend , we catch ourselves, when in response of a situation we would normally take a direction. Instead we stop and have a clear insight of that moment.
Acting in the opposite way and stopping our actions when we want to go the old and familiar way is one of the hardest thing to implement. The reason is because we are stepping into no man’s-land, but I think it is really worth trying because that is where we grow.
The key for growth is changing our habits and in particular the habits of our mind. If we want to expand and feel that sense of wonder we need to keep working at this crucial reflection.
Let’s be present, let’s be mindful!
Light and love to you!