Tuesday 26 May 2015

Paradox by Gunilla Norris

I have recently been introduced to a meditation teacher from America called Gunilla Norris, and her beautiful book Inviting Silence. It is a really inspiring book that leads one through the aspects of meditation in terms of recognising the need to seek and embrace silence, establishing a regular practice and sitting with others.
Here's one really insightful piece called Paradox.

It is a paradox that we encounter so much internal noise
when we first try to sit in silence.

It is a paradox that experiencing pain releases pain.

It is a paradox that keeping still can lead us
so fully into life and being.

Our minds do not like paradoxes.  We want things
To be clear, so we can maintain our illusions of safety.
Certainty breeds tremendous smugness.

We each possess a deeper level of being, however,
which loves paradox.  It knows that summer is already
growing like a seed in the depth of winter. It knows
that the moment we are born, we begin to die. It knows
that all of life shimmers, in shades of becoming--
that shadow and light are always together,
the visible mingled with the invisible.

When we sit in stillness we are profoundly active.
Keeping silent, we hear the roar of existence.
Through our willingness to be the one we are,
We become one with everything.

Gunilla Norris

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