Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Spiritual reality

Never fear the death of the body. Here is a beautiful description of union with the Ultimate:

It is as if a raindrop fell from heaven into a stream or fountain and became one with the water in it so that never again can the raindrop be separated from the water of the stream; or as if a little brook ran into the sea and there was thenceforward no means of distinguishing its water from the ocean; or as if a brilliant light came into a room through two windows and though it comes in divided between them, it forms a single light inside.

~St. Teresa of Avila

Quoted in 'The Virago Book of Spirituality' Ed. Sarah Anderson

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous1:39 PM

    I keep reading this post again and again. Each time it makes me think of a Zen story I have read on a website called Zen stories to tell your neighbors. I am not sure why I keep connecting the two, but here is the Zen story and maybe someone else will understand the connection.

    One of master Gasan's monks visited the university in Tokyo. When he returned, he asked the master if he had ever read the Christian Bible. "No," Gasan replied, "Please read some of it to me." The monk opened the Bible to the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew, and began reading. After reading Christ's words about the lilies in the field, he paused. Master Gasan was silent for a long time. "Yes," he finally said, "Whoever uttered these words is an enlightened being. What you have read to me is the essence of everything I have been trying to teach you here!"
    From the web-site http://www.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/zenstory.html
    Carolyn L.

    ReplyDelete

New policy: Anonymous posts must be signed or they will be deleted. Pick a name, any name (it could be Paperclip or Doorknob), but identify yourself in some way. Thank you.