blessing this poverty

“Like Vimalarkiti she shuts her mouth, following the old way. All day long, she sits within the gate. She does not tell anyone her inner treasure. When she sees the Blue Mountain through her veranda, and recognizes it, she feels she has spoken too much.”

I cannot remember exactly from which of my ‘Zen’ books this quote arrived. It’s scribbled with blue gel pen in a notebook in which I gather this type of thought. The title of that Notebook (journal), which was a present from Ann nearly two years ago, is a quote from Rumi – “There is a voice that doesn’t use words.”

In my latest book, which I hope to have published by Thanksgiving, the recurring character Eddie does his best to explain to the narrator of the stories – me – that the ear is a more valuable organ than the mouth.

All of which is background music for a long-standing and lately more urgent personal goal to talk less. Just talk less. Like Vimalarkiti up there, who has a significant moment of fame way back when by answering a most important question asked of him with silence.

This from Dongshan – “Conceal your practice, function in secret, seem for all the world like a fool or an idiot.”

Note to self – Shssss.