Try
to be mindful and let things
take
their natural course. Then your mind
will
become still in any surroundings,
like
a clear forest pool. All kinds
of
wonderful, rare animals will come to drink
at
the pool, and you will clearly see
the
nature of all things. You will
see
many strange and wonderful things come
and
go, but you will be still.
It’s
really helpful when words like these—which evoke a vivid and memorable scene—can
be let go of easily. Mindfulness lets go of words in order to experience ‘stuff’
wordlessly, in order to bring the parts of our brains that don’t process with words into play. We have more capacity than we
know in those parts of our brains. Capacities that will bless us.
This
kind of preparation takes us to that Be
still and know place that the psalm (45) recommends.
Ajahn
Chah’s image, as we go there, spend time there, practice with it, is worth
thousands and thousands of words.
