 27 Apr 2010 @ 09:59
ATTRACTION
Peacock iridescence in veridical shadows,
Violet blooms spread to noonday sun.
The world's beauty is a swirl of color,
But in the flower's center is bright stillness.
This world is movement. Its nature is constant change, infinite
variation. Without infinite variation, there would be stasis, for we
would reach limits. But all limits are actually arbitrary. Life is one
endless equation of darkness, brilliance, color, sound, fragrance, and
sensation.
The peacock attracts his mate through his plumage; the flower
attracts the bee with its color and fragrance. Beauty is moved to
madness, is urged toward more beauty, is lost in the dance of seduction.
We hover around the petals of the flower, drunk in the thrill of color.
Enthralled with the fragrance of some haunting perfume, we are moved to
act, to touch, to fill our shallow vessels with the fullness of promised
joy.
Yet in the center of the flower, all is stillness. When the dance of
beauty is finished, culmination is at hand. In life, attractions are
endless. We should do no more than we need to satisfy ourselves. To
plunge further is foolhardy. We must remember to withdraw and look
within. Lingering on the outside of our souls, there is shimmering
beauty and fantastic movement. It is only when we go to the center of
our souls that we are in the eye of the storm, the still-point of
existence. Then all is brightness, energy condensed, unbearably strong
and powerful, yet absorbed in supreme quietude.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
|
|
