Sunday, October 31, 2010

And then I found...T

This one. Great Advice.

The past is already past.
Don't try to regain it.
The present does not stay.
Don't try to touch it.

From moment to moment.
The future has not come;
Don't think about it
Beforehand.

Whatever comes to the eye,
Leave it be.
There are no commandments
To be kept;
There's no filth to be cleansed.

With empty mind really
Penetrated, the dharmas
Have no life.

When you can be like this,
You've completed
The ultimate attainment.
Layman P'ang (740-808)

I Found This Poem Today

And I do believe it might have told the story of my life:

Though I think not
To think about it,
I do think about it
And shed tears
Thinking about it.

Ryokan

Sunday, October 24, 2010

To Become an Adult

You must be a child first.

They quote "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child ", doesn't particularly fit me. When I was a child, I spoke like an adult, I thought like an adult and I reasoned like an adult. I was treated as an adult-child. I wasn't allowed to attend dances, school games. I wasn't allowed to date. I wasn't allowed to hang out after school.

When I moved out on my own, I became a child. I partied like a crazy child who no one could control. I spent money, like there was an endless supply. I did not think about the future. I was a very responsible child, I could stretch every penny. As a young adult, I just wanted to be carefree.

It wasn't until later on in my adult life that I went back to my responsible self. And so, I'm convinced that in order to become an adult, you must first experience life as a child. You must eventually let go of the need to control everything. If it hasn't happened yet, I'm convinced it will later.