Moon on the Water

Zen Master Dogen writes about the moon reflected upon the water:

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water.

Enlightenment does not divide you, just at the moon does not break the water. You cannot hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the sky. The depth of the drop is the height of the moon. Each reflection, however long or short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky.

May we also be reflections to others...

Some thoughts on Change...

I begin with some words on change... how I feel it is fast upon us...

The world is changed.
I feel it in the water.
I feel it in the earth.
I smell it in the air.
Much that once was, is lost,
for none now live who remember it

Galadriel, Lord of the Rings

And remember that balance and internal harmony is the best bet for great shifts:

Many of us worry about the situation of the world. We don't know when the bombs will explode. We feel that we are on the edge of time. As individuals, we feel helpless, despairing. The situation is so dangerous, injustice is so widespread, the danger is close. In this kind of situation, if we panic, things will only become worse. We need to remain calm, to see clearly. Meditation is to be aware, and to try to help.

Thich Nhat Hanh - Buddhist monk

And so it is for us to shine our own internal lamps...

2008

Beautiful-Traitor is happy to be entering 2008 - and expectant of many changes. As we ground our energies and salute our own spirits it is imperative we recognise our own worth.

We have a great future - if we are prepared to awaken towards it. In the words of Rumi:

Search the answer at the same place
where the question comes from.

Onwards...