Renaissance
पुनर्जागरण
- टिक नैट हान
आज सुबह सूर्योदय के समय वृक्ष पर एक नई कोंपल खिली। उस कोंपल का जन्म लगभग आधी रात में हुआ।। वृक्ष के अंदर निरंतर बहते रस ने वृक्ष की ख।ल को चीर कर एक नए जीवन को आधार दिया। लेकिन वह वृक्ष इन सब गतिविधियों और उस दर्द को न सुन रहा था और न महसूस कर रहा था। वो तो सिर्फ़ एकचित्त अपने आसपास उग रहे फूलों और घास के मद्धम गान को ही सुन रहा था। रात की महक बहुत पवित्र और सुंदर थी। वृक्ष को समय के गुज़रने का अंदाज़ा न था।, न उसे जन्म का ज्ञात और न उसे मरण का ध्यान। वो तो बस वहाँ उपस्थित था जैसे कि आकाश और धरती।
आज सबेरे भोर के समय मैंने समझा कि आज का दिन बीते सब दिनों से अलग है, यह सुबह अद्वितीय है। हम अकसर ऐसा सोचते हैं कुछ सुबहों का आनन्द किसी और दिन ले लेंगे। लेकिन ये नामुमकिन है क्योंकि हर सुबह खास है और हर दूसरी सुबह से बिलकुल अलग। मित्रों, आज की सुबह आप को कैसी महसूस हो रही है? क्या यह सुबह ंहमारे जीवन में पहली बार आई है, या बीत गई कोई और सुबह खुद को दोहरा रही है? मित्रों, जब हम पूर्ण रूप से हर पल में उपस्थित नहीं होते, तब हर पल ठीक दूसरे पलों जैसा ही दिखता है। लेकिन अगर हम हर पल और हर जगह पर पूरी तरह से उपस्थित रहें तो हर सुबह एक नयी सुबह मालूम होगी। सूरज अलग-अलग समय पर आकाश के अलग-अलग हिस्सों को प्रकाशित करता है। हमारी संपूर्ण जागरूकता उस चंद्रमा के समान है जो सैंकड़ों नदियों के हृदय में से हो कर निकलता है - नदी का जल बहता रहता है, उसमें एक संगीत उत्पन्न होता रहता है और चंद्रमा उस असीम नीले आकाश के तले चलता रहता है। उस नीले आसमान की ओर देखो, मुस्कुराओ और अपने ह्रदय की जागरूकता को वैसे ही उत्पन्न होने दो जैसे कि सुबह के सूरज की पवित्र किरणें पत्तों और टहनियों को प्यार से छूती हैं।
कोई भी सुबह सिर्फ़ एक पन्ने की तरह नहीं होती जिसे हम अक्षरों से भर कर एक क्षण में पलट दें। एक पुस्तक एक राह है जिसपर कोई भी आ जा सकता है पर एक सुबह वो राह नहीं है, न ही ये वो रास्ता ही है जिस पर कोई चिड़िया बिना कोई निशान छोड़े ही उड़ जाए। हर सुबह आठ सुरों का एक सुंदर संगम है, पर उस राग से कोई ध्वनि उत्पन्न हुई या नहीं वो तो केवल सुनने वाले की उपस्थिति पर निर्भर करता है।
पेड़ पर खिली वो नयी कोंपल अभी नन्ही सी है। ये जागरूकता और अंतर्ध््यान की वो कली है जो हर पल लगातार पनपती हुई बढ़ती रहती है। अगर हम एक नई कोंपल को ध्यान से देखें तो हम समझ सकते हैं कि वो समय के बंधनों से मुक्त है क्योंकि कोई जीवन केवल महीनों या सालों में नहीं नापा जा सकता।
तुम्हारी आंखें ही असीम आकाश, उंचे पर्वत और अर्थात समुद्र हैं। तुम्हारे जीवन की कोई सीमा नहीं है। ये सभी मीठे फ़ल और सुंदर फ़ूल तुम्हारे लिए ही हैं। इन्हें स्वीकार करो।
- टिक नैट हान " कौल मी बाय माय ट्रू नेम्स"
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Can you share a personal experience where you felt that the "morning is a symphony?" How do we grow in awareness of the novelty of each day? What does "All the delicious fruit and magnificent flowers belong to you. Accept them." mean to you, in terms of "you" and "belong"? How does this belonging relate to things that "belong" to us in our everyday sense of ownership?
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10 Past Reflections
On Aug 16, 2012 Anita Balaraman wrote :
Two sentences leapt out to me from yesterday’s reading… “If we are present in front of life, each morning is a new space, a new time.”; and, “A morning is a symphony; for it to be there or not depends on your presence.”
If we are not “present”, then we don’t see the newness of each moment, or in other words, the morning wouldn’t be a symphony, but rather just a path to the rest of your day. I can honestly say that I experienced being “present” yesterday. It carried over today too, when the Buddha statue on my front entryway looked just divine as the sun beamed over his face.
But, I have to confess, I am afraid of losing it, afraid that I may slip back into thinking of every moment as a path to somewhere, because that is easy. “Presence” is such a profound feeling that I felt a compulsive need to share it, share it with all, including my kids. I pondered over this, and wondered how I would... [View Full Comment]
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On Aug 15, 2012 Narendra wrote :
Can you share a personal experience where you felt that the "morning is a symphony?"
Every time I am outdoors in Nature, morning or evening, it is a symphony.
How do we grow in awareness of the novelty of each day? If we are truly in the present, we become a part of flow of love and life in creation. There will be nothing ‘mundane’ in life-creation. Everything we do, including common tasks, will be a source of happiness and a creative expression.
What does "All the delicious fruit and magnificent flowers belong to you. Accept them." mean to you, in terms of "you" and "belong"? All of life including unpleasant surprises can be accepted as an opportunity to see our strengths and weaknesses, and to grow in love, compassion and awareness.
How does this belonging relate to things that "belong" to us in our everyday sense of ownership? If we are ego-centered, our pain and our happiness belon... [View Full Comment]
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On Aug 14, 2012 Sundi wrote :
Having had a series of health issues over the last few years, I am deeply aware of morning in terms of how I feel. I have noticed that when the sun comes shining through the window I am immediately happier. When I step outside and listen to the birds, I can face the day. This has become a routine that gets me going, lifts me up, and makes me appreciate the fact that I CAN rise out of bed, move, and enjoy life. Thich Nhat Hanh always voices that which is hard to put into words. THANK YOU for posting this.
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On Aug 14, 2012 Lesly wrote :
Thank you Conrad. Your description of "trying to say something worthwhile" was very aptly put and was very helpful in illustrating how we get out of the present - and co-incidentally how to stay in the present.
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On Aug 12, 2012 david doane wrote :
"My friend, when we are not present, mornings repeat themselves. If we are present in front of life, each morning is a new space, a new time." Those lines grabbed me. I'm not at the point of appreciating and basking in the uniqueness of each morning, but I appreciate the unique wonder of some moments, and those moments are a symphony. Being aware that each moment is a unique symphony helps me grow in appreciation of those moments. "All the delicious fruit and magnificent flowers belong to you. Accept them" means to me that I am part of all that is, that I and all that is is one, we are expressions of the one Being, and we belong to one another. I think our everyday sense of ownership is based on seeing separateness of I and things which is a shared delusion that we all for the most part participate in, and it's a whole different world than appreciating that we really don't own anything and we do belong to o... [View Full Comment]
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On Aug 10, 2012 susan schaller wrote :
Born at the bottom of a big and confused family, I had raised fists from babyhood, defending myself from three older brothers, a bossy older sister, and the accusations of my baby sister. My raised fists and fighting attitude made for a narrow and painful life. As I learned to accept myself and life, and practiced love instead of fighting, I could be, be in the present. Without dragging heavy baggage from the past or obsessing about future fear based fantasies, I could see the trees, the skies, the humming bird, your smiles and me. Life and each day became full and a doorway into possibility. When I am in the present, not only is everything more beautiful and grand, I am bigger, connected to all of life, connected to all of you. Enjoy the fullness of this day.
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On Aug 10, 2012 Susan xo wrote :
Mornings are indeed a symphony for ne! I love this writing.of Thich Nhat Hanh because.I closely relate to its meaning and sentiment.
For the whole.of.my life as ling as I can remember this time of day.has been magical for me, the quiet comimg of the new day, beginning as the birds and critters wake to greet the rising.sun. then as the sky lightened and brightened as darkeness reverse to welcome a new beginning.
Physically and metaphorically this time has represented a blossoming of newness of.promise and potential that is a gift that belongs to me!
Mostly I try to approach this time with awareness of the subtlies of the burgeoning day and equally with my interaction with family, neighbors, colleagues and friends as the days journey begins.
As Thich has written, all the delicious fruit belongs to me... my day, my experience in this day this moment is a reflection of me, a reflection of my thoughts, my loving nature, my hope for this new day!
For the whole.of.my life as ling as I can remember this time of day.has been magical for me, the quiet comimg of the new day, beginning as the birds and critters wake to greet the rising.sun. then as the sky lightened and brightened as darkeness reverse to welcome a new beginning.
Physically and metaphorically this time has represented a blossoming of newness of.promise and potential that is a gift that belongs to me!
Mostly I try to approach this time with awareness of the subtlies of the burgeoning day and equally with my interaction with family, neighbors, colleagues and friends as the days journey begins.
As Thich has written, all the delicious fruit belongs to me... my day, my experience in this day this moment is a reflection of me, a reflection of my thoughts, my loving nature, my hope for this new day!
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On Aug 9, 2012 Kokil wrote :
For many years at a stretch all I did was get up in the morning, get dressed, rush to work, come back from work, eat , watch TV and sleep. One fine day I decided to move into a state of awareness and as I evolved and life evolved around me I noticed that each day might have been the same but each of those days now belonged to me and it was me who could make it unique. I began to relish the sounds around me as I embraced the silence within. From being in a state wherein I thought I didn't belong anywhere and nothing belonged to me I moved into a state of belonging to the universe and the vice versa.
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On Aug 9, 2012 Conrad P. Pritscher wrote :
When I pay attention to my present experience I grow in awareness of the novelty of each moment. When I am aware of my present experience, that present awareness equals all the delicious fruit and magnificent flowers and they all belong because I am then one with everyone and everything.
I experience myself as talking more about present awareness than experiencing present awareness. I'm still very "heady" and intellectual about being aware of the present. Right now I notice myself "trying" to say something worthwhile for others to hear. That "trying" I experience as not being as present as when I just let myself be. I now notice myself trying to write well so that Somik will praise me next week for having something important to say. I now experience warm feelings for all readers. Thanks for the opportunity to respond. Kind regards.
I experience myself as talking more about present awareness than experiencing present awareness. I'm still very "heady" and intellectual about being aware of the present. Right now I notice myself "trying" to say something worthwhile for others to hear. That "trying" I experience as not being as present as when I just let myself be. I now notice myself trying to write well so that Somik will praise me next week for having something important to say. I now experience warm feelings for all readers. Thanks for the opportunity to respond. Kind regards.