Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Secret ...


The secret of beginning a life of deep awareness and sensitivity
lies in our willingness to pay attention.

Our growth as conscious, awake human beings is marked not so much by grand gestures and visible renunciations as by extending loving attention to the minutest particulars of our lives.

Every relationship, every thought, every gesture is blessed with meaning through the wholehearted attention we bring to it.

In the complexities of our minds and lives we easily forget the power of attention, yet without attention we live only on the surface of existence.

It is just simple attention that allows us truly to listen to the song of a bird, to see deeply the glory of an autumn leaf, to touch the heart of another and be touched.

We need to be fully present in order to love a single thing wholeheartedly.

We need to be fully awake in this moment if we are to receive and respond to the learning inherent in it.

Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield, Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart








4 comments:

LeSan said...

Beautifully put and I agree wholeheartedly.

L. D. said...

As an artist, I know that I take a lot more in than the average, but when I started blogging, I really started to take time to see things for others. I like the creation and the sounds and sights are wonderful. I really like your post. Beautiful pink rose.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

LeSan ~ Glad you liked. It was a nice, thought provoking piece that I enjoyed as well.

L.D. ~ 'Seeing things for others'. I've done that too, trying to capture beauty for others to enjoy.

There is so much to see, enjoy and learn from in each new day.

FlowerLady

TRUTH SHARER said...

Over the last 3 years - God has been teaching me to PAY ATTENTION to HIM - to all the details of His presence in my life! I loved this story -and as I was reading it a bird was singing outside my window that was so distracting [so I thought]... UNTIL I stopped to pay attention to it - then I heard a NEW SONG that I had never heard before! ONLY GOD!

Choosing JOY with JESUS ONLY,
Stephanie