Heaven or Hell: Your Choice
A big, burly samurai comes to a Zen master and says, “Tell me the nature of heaven and hell.”
The Zen master looks him in the face and says, “Why should I tell a scruffy, disgusting, miserable slob like you? A worm like you, do you think I should tell you anything?”
Consumed by rage, the samurai draws his sword and raises it to cut off the master’s head.
The Zen master says, “That’s hell.”
Instantly, the samurai understands that he has created his own hell—black and hot, filled with hatred, self-protection, anger, and resentment. He sees that he was so deep in hell that he was ready to kill someone. Tears fill his eyes as he puts his palms together to bow in gratitude for this insight.
The Zen master says, “That’s heaven.”
Heaven or Hell: Your Choice
A big, burly samurai comes to a Zen master and says, “Tell me the nature of heaven and hell.”
The Zen master looks him in the face and says, “Why should I tell a scruffy, disgusting, miserable slob like you? A worm like you, do you think I should tell you anything?”
Consumed by rage, the samurai draws his sword and raises it to cut off the master’s head.
The Zen master says, “That’s hell.”
Instantly, the samurai understands that he has created his own hell—black and hot, filled with hatred, self-protection, anger, and resentment. He sees that he was so deep in hell that he was ready to kill someone. Tears fill his eyes as he puts his palms together to bow in gratitude for this insight.
The Zen master says, “That’s heaven.”
A weblog entry by David, written on 04.15.09
Have you ever had a longing to be with someone you love? Your significant other, your family, or friends? I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been there a time or two (or 3 thousand). I had an experience recently that really got me thinking about a new spin (to me at least) on the present. I was dancing with my girlfriend at my place and was having an amazing time. I started to imagine that it was many years later and I was remembering this moment from that point in time. It brought such a profound feeling of presence and gratitude to this moment that I started to cry [tears of joy]. I felt so lucky to be experiencing that moment in such a profound way.
I told her what I was thinking and we had a great conversation about it. Here’s a brief summary of what we came up with:
Deepen into the moment by projecting yourself into the future and remembering back to this moment. Which can help one experience the now more fully and…
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Have you ever had a longing to be with someone you love? Your significant other, your family, or friends? I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all been there a time or two (or 3 thousand). I had an experience recently that really got me thinking about a new spin (to me at least) on the present. I was dancing with my girlfriend at my place and was having an amazing time. I started to imagine that it was many years later and I was remembering this moment from that point in time. It brought such a profound feeling of presence and gratitude to this moment that I started to cry [tears of joy]. I
Read more...
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
