Saturday, November 2, 2013

Insight


“… I putter about the hermitage, make the bed, wash the breakfast dishes, sweep the porch; and something begins to order itself inside me as I order my external world. The ordering and puttering become a kind of prayer, a way of attending to the human which is a way of attending to the divine, charged as we are and the world is with the presence of God. Domestic chores also become simply something to do. One cannot pray and meditate unendingly. There is a rhythm to life lived anywhere that calms the heart if we surrender to the necessities of the world around us and the world within.”
—Thomas Merton
(many thanks to Luke at the Parabola Newsletter for this - I love it because it echoes one of the main themes in the book I have recently read, “Everyday Zen” by Charlotte Joko Beck)
Thank you for sharing this, dhammanovice. Just wanted to let you know that this was originally posted over at the sacred space: The Beauty We Love. In the newsletter, the photograph links there.
“… I putter about the hermitage, make the bed, wash the breakfast dishes, sweep the porch; and something begins to order itself inside me as I order my external world. The ordering and puttering become a kind of prayer, a way of attending to the human which is a way of attending to the divine, charged as we are and the world is with the presence of God. Domestic chores also become simply something to do. One cannot pray and meditate unendingly. There is a rhythm to life lived anywhere that calms the heart if we surrender to the necessities of the world around us and the world within.”
—Thomas Merton

http://parabola-magazine.tumblr.com/post/5545167562/i-putter-about-the-hermitage-make-the-bed

1 comment:

  1. Very thought provoking. It is something to ponder ever.
    hUGS

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