From the other side
we all come from there
and we return there too
sooner or maybe later
when it’s time for that
or rather we’re there
and here all in one
but tend to split it
to here and there
it actually just is
as we observe life
being in the present
when coming or going
into or out of our body
we are all the same
and still all different
individual mixtures
boasting protagonists
criticizing antagonists
and indecisive chaotics
each with great potential
qualities and drawbacks
well fed by our attention
one, the other, or all three
which one do you feed
pleasant we may like
unpleasant for contrast
neutral to open potential
concepts of understanding
basics of any fundamental
each sounding in its octaves
doubling to accommodate
the first other harmonic
the tripling quint or fifth
plus the next one then
still clearly perceptible
shakes up some more
from doubling, tripling
to quintling major third
uplifting and upsetting
go on more and more
pleasant, unpleasant
and neutrally chaotic
through given cycles
as far as you can go
until coming back
to the very start
from an other side
one way all around
or maybe one other
more at once or none
perhaps all or nothing
there’s no difference
just a loving heart.
“Another day breaks” — from dark to light
The wise heart
“Aggression, anger, and aversion are built into our universal heritage… After we learn how to face them directly, to see how they arise and function in our life, we must take a revolutionary step. Through the profound practice of insight, through non-identification and compassion, we reach below the very synapses and cells and free ourselves from the grasp of these instinctive forces. With dedication, we discover it is possible to do so.
“Aversion and anger almost always arise as a direct reaction to a threatening or painful situation. If they are not understood they grow into hatred. As we have seen, pain and loss are undeniable parts of human life…
“Fortunately, we can train ourselves… to meet fear and pain with wisdom instead of with the habits of aversion and anger. When a painful or threatening event arises, we can open our eyes to it. When we learn to bear our own pain and face our own fears, we will no longer blame and inflict it on others, neither family members nor other tribes… Instead of reacting, we can respond with spacious clarity, purpose, firmness, and compassion. A wise response includes whatever action, fierce at times, is the most caring toward life, our own and others’.”
— The Wise Heart, Jack Kornfield, p. 209 & 210
A view from the other side
