asks Zen teacher Norman Fischer*, former abbot of Zen Center of San Francisco, author and poet.
There are no maps. The path is mysterious, dark, it leads us to the corners, the subtexts, of our lives, the in-between, unconscious, unknowable places. We think we know who we are and what our lives are about.
But suppose we don’t. Suppose are not what we think they are; suppose something else is going on, deep streams flowing underground that come to the surface only now and again, in little springs or freshets or maybe only in telltale spots of moisture where weeds or straggly flowers grow.
And suppose that the task of our lives is not so much to shape or control our stories so that they will turn according to our preference or preconception but rather to recognize that our stories, the visible images of our lives, are cover stories, narratives that hide within them deeper, underground narratives, that we can sense and taste now and again but never fully comprehend (p. 5).
And how’s your journey this week? How far have you come in contacting someone you used to be close to but have lost touch with? Perhaps you’re still pondering the value of such an undertaking. My intention was to cause you to reflect on the path travelled and to connect with narratives that might be hidden deep within. I wish you well on this bold venture.
Please send a Comment if you feel so moved. With so many of us toiling on our own, hearing from others may be a welcome gift.
*Fischer, Norman. “Sailing home: using the wisdom of Homer’s Odyssey to navigate life’s perils and pitfalls.” Free Press, 2008, ISBN 1-4165-6021-1. Norman was one of the mentors during my end-of-life training in San Francisco; I’ve done three weeklong retreats under his guidance and had the honour — many moons ago — to act as the group’s cook (tenzo).
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“No maps”…and too many slippery slopes. Unfortunately, I never realize I’m slipping until momentum has already determined the outcome.
hello Neil, “momentum” may be the key to navigating slippery slopes. Whatever outcome you observe is transitory, with more to come. Nothing lasts. Keep sliding — with eyes and heart wide-open.
Hello Peter…Actually my statement may not be entirely true — though your reply is on the money. Often I have allowed ‘thinking’ to preempt momentum, and an outcome which may’ve been momentous!
Peter, you have taught me the Merit of Momentum (MOM)!
FOR MOMENTUM TODAY, TRY SLIP SLIDING AWAY!!
PS. Twenty years of Vipassana they never taught that!
Thinking v. Momentum–I’ve often thought too much without acting and sometimes acted without thinking. Hard to find the safe balance. But thank you, Peter and Neil, for encouraging momentum. I made one contact today, with many more to go.