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Roger Keyes, was a highly respected scholar of Japanese print who studied the works of Katsushika Hokusai -- a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period in Japan (mid 1800s) who practiced single-pointed attention, perseverance, exploration through his art. Keyes brings out the spiritual voice of Hokusai through the poem here. Below is my reflection to the poem:
A child's mind is open and curious to know and explore. A child's mind is not stuffed and stuck with the past which is gone and the future which is yet to come. Living fully in the present moment is the way of living freely. Each one of us has the potential to live life with contentment. This is an eternal message given and lived by ancient wise and enlightened people. The door of living this way has been always open. We need to have an open and unbound mind to walk through it and embrace life fully. I feel fulfillment and deep contentment when my mind is free from self-created noises; when my mind is not hijacked by what happened in the past or thinking about future. I pay single-pointed attention to the present moment when I am reading, writing, walking, listening, and observing. It is called The Beginner's Mind, the mind which is open, free, fresh and awakened. I realize that this is the way of living. However, there are times when my mind dwells in the past or worries about the future. Mindfulness helps me to walk on the path. Wakefulness helps me not to go back to "sleep". Awakening, awareness and acceptance are my ever helping friends and I am grateful for keeping me on the spiritual path. Namaste!
2 Comments
Debbie Podwika
4/8/2023 01:40:27 pm
I like the phrase, "It matters that life lives through you." I like also about how it matters what we notice, care & feel etc. I contemplate on how certain things we notice and care about more than others and why we feel the way we do about something at any particular moment. Some of that is certainly genetics but it is also from the people who have been in our lives. What they noticed, cared about and felt shaped and molded what we notice, care about & feel. I'm grateful I had people in my life who noticed and cared deeply for others and would feel in their heart they would help when they could. I am grateful for those in my life who taught me to slow down and to be more mindful of the world and life. I hope to pay this forward through what I then share with others, especially my nieces.
María
4/8/2023 03:37:08 pm
The phrase that stayed with after reading your reflection was, “Each one of us has the potential to live with contentment.” I would like to live content most of my day. I have worked on not carrying the past when it comes up everyday. But feeling contentment seems to elude me. Please advise how we can use mindfulness to feel content. Leave a Reply. |
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