Day 15
The river, surging course,
Uninterruped current.
Headwater, channel, mouth.
Can they be divided?
-Deng Ming-Dao
Today's meditation is about time: past, present and future. It also concerns how each impacts the other - the only division them being the present moment.
The trinity of time flows -
past, present, future -
one into the other.
- Demori
Deng Ming-Dao writes, "We must understand how the past affects us, we should keep the present full of rich and satisfying experiences, and we should devote some energy each day to building for the future. Just as a river can be said to have parts that cannot be clearly divided, so too shold we consider the whole of our time when deciding on how to spend our lives."
It is not always easy to see the direction we are taking while in the present moment. Joseph Campbell writes about "invisible hands" that guide you. But, most importantly he emphasises to "follow your bliss". We can't always identify our bliss, but we can be true to our spirit's call.
In retrospect we see how our lives have moved us to the very moment at which we stand in its reflection. It has been said by many that this life is not about the final destination, but the journey. The older one gets in life, this statement becomes more true. By the time you are 40 years old, there have certainly been some twists and turns in the river of your life, carving through and shaping the landscape of your being. Time has been there wandering along side of you the entire way.
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause...
- Shakespeare
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