Being There
There is nothing to strive for...My direction was turned around and I was no longer seeking for what I did not have, but began to look deeply into this that is.
Daishin Morgan (2010)
Vietnamese mileposts have this delightful way of informing you when you have arrived. In this picture the black lettering on the post announces "Lake Ba Be 0.Kilometres". You are already there for the lake is actually just behind the houses. Often life turns on realising that we have already arrived; of having the right degree of
self-confidence,
An aspect of which is the ability to distinguish between what belongs to us and what belongs to those with whom we interact.
and of being able to trust ourselves. Much teaching seeks to induce an appropriate level of confidence in learners. And more generally, at the core of our lives, we may be so
busy
A busyness that is reflected in the chatter in our own heads.
searching that we overlook what we already have. What a revelation it would be to have a
signpost
A page where Daishin Morgan notes how challenges help us.
able to say, not this way or that, but 'You are there already'.
The Rev. Master Daishin Morgan was until recently Abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey. The quotation comes from his book ‘Buddha Recognizes Buddha’ (p2/3).
Ba Bể Lake is in the north east of Vietnam and the area including the lake is designated a National Park with guest houses and restaurants to cater for visitors. The house in the picture backs onto the lake. Nearly all numbered roads in Vietnam have these milestones. The common word for kilometre in Vietnamese is cây số which also means milestone.
Above hovering on blue introduces a link: click to go, move away to stay.
Saturday 9th February 2019
...guide to this site