Author: Miller, Maezen Karen
Call Number: 294.3444 M648P 2014
Book Description from amazon.com:
When Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller and her family land in a house with a hundred-year-old Japanese garden, she uses the paradise in her backyard to glean the living wisdom of our natural world. Through her eyes, rocks convey faith, ponds preach stillness, flowers give love, and leaves express the effortless ease of letting go. The book welcomes readers into the garden for Zen lessons in fearlessness, forgiveness, presence, acceptance, and contentment. Miller gathers inspiration from the ground beneath her feet to remind us that paradise is always here and now.
My Read:
Page 66--The beauty of a pond is that it is muddy.
A saying is popular among Buddhists: Lotus flowers come out from a muddy pond. A lotus flower is color of white. It stands out by itself: straight and beautiful. The murky water is actually the lotus flower's fertile source. This world is like the muddy water. We live among others with various backgrounds, values, attitudes, skills and beliefs we hold on. How do you see this world, the people around, things happened on a daily basis? What makes you stand out among others? Where do you stand when things happen? Which side do you take when conflicts occur? When is the time you speak up for yourself and others? Answers to these questions define who you are or what you think you are.
Page 84--When a good thing is not done silently, it's not good. Always start over.
To be humble is hard for some people. To me, humble people are the strongest humans with kind hearts and passion. They are usually wise people with compassion and knowledge. The Way/Path is only one way. I believe everyone is walk toward the Way. The difference is lots of people unconsciously take wrong turns or detour to wrong directions. Eventually each of us will step on to and walk on the Way. Time will tell.
