Flowers of the Mind

If the right conditions are present, then flowers will bloom.
Soto-Shu Calendar

A nun from another tradition told me of a woman who had written from prison in East Asia. Every day they take me out and beat me and abuse me. Every day I do my walking and sitting meditation, and I am free!

It is sometimes the case that the conditions that seem wrong can be the very ones in which the lotus blooms. This comes about through the faith that blooming is not dependent on external conditions, and then acting on that.

May the flowers of the mind bloom in the springtime of Enlightenment.

For my good sister in the Dharma, may you flower where ever you are.

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2 thoughts on “Flowers of the Mind”

  1. A friend was in prison facing torture and abuse on a daily basis. His guards tried for weeks to break his morale, yet the more they tried, the stronger he grew. He told me that he knew they were tormenting and abusing themselves far more than they ever could him. He simply smiled with the torture. His smile destroyed his guards and they eventually gave up and let him go. He was 17 at the time. His and your Dharma friend’s response to their conditions is a fine example that “My Pure Land will not be destroyed, even though sentient beings see it as consumed by fire.” It is a rare gift to meet and cross paths with people such as these.

    Thank you, your new site looks good.

  2. Thank you for leaving this comment. It is an example, among many, of people who are able to live through adversity and in the process others are changed profoundly as well as themselves.
    I’ve been thinking of doing audio interviews with such people…

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