Friday, January 26, 2007

No Beginning or End
By Don Iannone

Maybe like me,
you have hopelessly wondered
at some point in your life
how you will know
when your spiritual journey has begun,
and when it will be over.
If so,
these words by Dogen Zenji
will bring resonance to your heart:
"There is no beginning to practice
nor end to enlightenment;
there is no beginning to enlightenment
nor end to practice."
And so,
simply find joy in life
as it comes to you,
and give up any notion
that life is a race
with any start and finish lines.

9 comments:

Pat Paulk said...

Most interesting. Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

He was definitely a sage of great wisdom...enjoyed this post Don.

Anonymous said...

words of wisdom... thank you, don.

starry said...

Thaon for those words of wisdom.

QUASAR9 said...

Yep Don, Today & everyday
is the first day of the rest of the journey in this life ... and beyond.

When I was a kid I used to think of childish things, now that I'M in an an adult body I look for what daily joys this journey brings

Anonymous said...

Its the fear that comes to spread in to our life but then lights of spiritualty comes in encricling the darkness

Kristen said...

Even if you do know when your spiritual journey has begun, it is never in an easy straight line. There are cul-de-sacs, places of darkness to obscure the way, and misinterpretations of the guiding voices. These obstacles can lead to despair for mistakes made, and people hurt.
Despair prevents growth and continuing enlightenment. One must be strong and focus on the Light. But how to create peace after causing inadvertent chaos?

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Thanks all for your thoughtful comments.

Dan said...

Yes!

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