keep your mind Wide open

(Crossposted from my Crossroads Dispatches blog. I introduced the idea that I would be blogging about everyday inspiration from Ash Wednesday yesterday through Easter.)

Day 2, forty days of everyday inspiration. Lest you be worried that the next forty days are a Christian practice, relax. Yet should you want to pray, go ahead. Should you want to fast, go ahead. Should you want to not pray, go ahead. Should you want to not fast, go ahead. Whatever anyone feels called to do sounds good to me. I was in the shower (the place of much inspiration!) when I was jolted with the idea to do this focus between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

If I cannot stir and distill the essence of inspiration equally to a child, to a dancer, to a lover, to a merchant, to a zookeeper, then I will not have risen to this task. 

when they lose their sense of awe [sometimes translated wonder],

people turn to religion - Tao Te Ching

I may bring in a few religious or spiritual references. Jack Kerouac spoke of the Holy Ghost guiding the words that he penned frequently. Buddhists call it prajna and it's also known as the Tao to Chinese. It could be the kiss of the Beloved for Sufis.

But the core is wonder which seems to care not for the bounds to cultures or to systems of beliefs.

Yesterday I saw Bridge to Terabithia, a film about wonder, based on the children's book of the same name. There is a scene where Jess and Leslie have climbed up high on the treetops, and Leslie is mesmerized by the kingdom she sees spread before her.

Jess asks, "What am I looking for?"

"You'll see. First close your eyes, and keep your mind wide open," Leslie advises.

When he does opens his eyes, he sees.

"The world is its own magic." - Sunri Suzuki

You will probably have noticed yesterday that I didn't say a peep about giving anything up ;-)

"Usually we think of renunciation as celibacy, poverty, obedience, shaving your head, going off somewhere and leaving everything behind. Trungpa Rinpoche gave a Tantric, nondual interpretation of renunciation: "Renunciation means  to let go of holding back." Can we let go of holding back? Can we relinquish our fears and defenses?" - Lama Surya Das

images I so adore Rolfe Horn's photography. Totally transports me to that vibrant stillness that has nothing to do with lack of noise. Sunrise for Kobo Daishi, Noto, Japan 2004; and Creek, Study 1, Izumo, Japan 2001