Here where I stand
After having won many archery competitions, the town champion sought out the Zen master.
“I am the best of all,” he said. “I did not learn religion, I did not look for help from the monks, and I have been considered the best archer in the whole region. I heard that some time ago you were the best archer in the area, so I ask you: did you have to become a monk to learn to shoot arrows?
“No,” answered the Zen master.
But the champion was not satisfied: he took out an arrow, placed it in his bow, fired, and hit a cherry at a considerable distance. He smiled, as if to say: “You could have saved your time and just dedicated yourself to technique.” And he said:
“I doubt if you can do the same.”
Without demonstrating the least concern, the master took his bow and began to walk towards a nearby mountain. On the way there was an abyss that could only be crossed by an old rotting rope bridge that was almost falling down: with the utmost calm, the Zen master went to the middle of the bridge, took his bow, placed an arrow, aimed at a tree on the other side of the gulch, and hit the target.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said gently to the young man as he walked back to safe ground.
In trepidation, looking at the abyss below him, the young man went to the indicated spot and fired an arrow, but it landed very far from the target.
“That’s what one gets from discipline and practicing meditation,” concluded the master when the young man re-appeared at his side. “You can be very skilled with the instrument you have chosen to earn a living, but it’s all useless if you can’t manage to master the mind that uses the instrument.”
Contemplating the desert
Three people who were passing in a small caravan saw a man contemplating the sunset in the Sahara desert from the top of a mountain.
“It must be a shepherd who has lost a sheep and is trying to find it,” said the first.
“No, I don’t think he is looking for something, especially not at sunset – that confuses your vision. I think he is waiting for a friend.”
“I bet he’s a holy man looking for enlightenment,” commented the third.
They began to discuss what the man was doing, and got so involved in the discussion that they nearly ended up fighting with one another. Finally, to find out who was right, they decided to climb the mountain and ask the man.
“Are you looking for your sheep?” asked the first.
“No, I don’t have a flock.”
“Then you must be waiting for someone,” claimed the second.
“I am a lonely man who lives in the desert,” was the answer.
“Since you live in the desert, and in solitude, then we have to believe that you are a holy man in search of God, and you are meditating!” asserted the third man, content with this conclusion.
“Does everything on Earth need to have an explanation? So let me explain: I am here just looking at the sunset: isn’t that enough to lend a meaning to our lives?”
Gear up for grub with a tripleheader of pigskin, including a meeting of brothers in Dallas. Everybody knows it’s been a rough year for her, but find out who else had issues
***(smiling)***
Thank You for your words. I Do believe in miracles
.
may God Bless you
What shrouds the Light for me is that I would like to leave this place once and for all and go with my Father again; and talk to Him every sunset as we used to do when I was close to Him. The Ocean protected me because I looked at Him every day. I miss Him … I miss Him terribly. I was snatched from my cradle when I was a little child and Evil took me to the kingdom of the shadows. My desire now is just this one: Go back to the Light and Joy as soon as possible and be able to keep the shadows very far from me without feeling guilty anymore. I don´t want more contact with that person. she scared me. she is Evil for me. I know because I saw in my dreams. And also in reality. I don´t want to see her anymore. I would like to leave, and I will leave.
gaze upon Her features and become Silent
close you eyes and look inside
and now in your Silence
see if you feel the Joy the Light the Life
know this has never gone away
and will never go away
for within your Self you shine
it is what shrouds the Light that causes you pain
the Mountain rises before him
and he is a student of the Majesty
the Summit is sunlight and white snows
he gathers all his strength and prays
that his Ascent may be graced
that his guided footsteps may lead him
to that Silent place where
he may come face to face with the Light
of his Illumined Self as student and Master
I have tried. Twice. And nothing. I didn´t feel that cool breeze. Maybe because I still feel guilty after all. Maybe because I cannot forgive myself while I see the way in which my Heart is being hold by a deep sadness. I am the only one guilty for that and I cannot avoid to feel the same sadness that Him everytime I look into His eyes. He is under my responsability, and I am giving Him nothing. Once, I gave Him Joy, Light and Life, but now I am giving Him only death (in the same way that I am giving death to myself. Because we are the same thing. It´s just that we are living in two different bodies. And that Hurts So Much).
Dear Constance
to view in your own language go to this place
and click on the country of your choice
http://www.sahajayoga.org/worldwidecontacts/default.asp
may you shine in the Light of your True Being
John
cool. really like your stuff.
I have seen the place and I have also seen the video. I would like to meet that Woman some day.
The problem if that I have been almost incapable of follow the instructions She was saying because I could scarcely understand Her (my understanding of spoken english must improve). Maybe I didn´t understand every single word and it´s a pity indeed but I have understood the most important words. For instance: FORGIVE YOURSELF, FORGIVE OTHERS, DON´T FEEL GUILTY AT ALL.
I would like some day to be able to understand Her when She speaks to me in English. And I want to thank you again for letting me know about Her. It´s another miracle in my Life. I hope from now on to be a bit better every day. I hope She could take me for Her; for Her Light.
Hello,
Thank you for have written to me. Reading your messages was just like a miracle. They did bring some Joy and Light to my Heart. However, when I began to write yesterday or two days ago (I don´t remember) a letter to say thank you, I also began to remember the place where I am and I began to feel darkness very close to me. Hitting me. Very Hard. And I forgot that I should focus my words just in a message to say thank you and not begin again to complain. Sorry for that.
Last evening I ask Jesus for my own death. Then I heard a voice (maybe my imagination or my own voice) that told me: “And if I give you what you are asking Me (to die) Which one would be your latest desire?”. Then I told Him just one thing. I told him: “Save my Heart”. Then I began to cry and after that I felt a bit better.
Now I have read again your messages and the only thing I can say is that I am so grateful for have been writting to me.
Thank you from the bottom of my Heart.
Dear Constance
you enquired of the Mother
She is with us and She may awaken
and guide you to the Divinity within.
Her name is Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
the incarnation of the Divine Feminine -
the Most Holy Spirit.
if you wish
with an open heart and an open mind
go to this place
http://www.sahajayoga.org/experienceitnow/default.asp
and begin your Journey.
Dawn Angels light the Heavens
with luminous eyes reflecting
the Glory of Her Creation.
White-wings in Freedom
flying into the Sunrise
of the illumined Dawn.
the Mother’s children
are returning to the Source
as Innocence
manifesting the Silent Depths.
May you become That that you seek
John
Hi ! Constnace -
So far as I can see, u already know what u need to do to ‘come closer to the Mother’, comming to the present without any prejudice, is one way, of whose practise points u wrote, being more observant to the present ( there by being further away from our imaginary mind games ) .
For you it’s a question of knowing vs. ‘knowing’. U have heard of those steps described by paulo hence you know, but it will really become your ‘knowing’ if u practice it and find out for yourself why paulo recomnds it thru his charecters.
Our mind can be funny, to avoid ‘work’ it confuses you, so that u remain confused and don’t act. Start with any method, but just don’t remain rooted under the pretext of confusion. One has a tendency to choose methods which require more confrontation with oneself, avoid those, choose something simple & easily doable, like say try to remain fully conscious as you greet someone, every time during the day. They say the door to the mother is thru the present, but mostly busy as we are in things to do with mind, we remain absent from the present.
To find the mother you have to become like the child, children too listen to the sounds very attentively.
aditya
Dear Constance,
If you read carefully today’s stories you could see they can help you a lot. Another thing I can say is make sure you ask the right question so that you could get the right answer.
“Know the truth and the truth shall make you free”.
Where you can start today is face the fact that nobody can tell you what to do, i.e. “know the truth (yourself)”.
When God created us He gave us everything we needed. We came prepared to this world, just check your baggage
May God lead you!
Have a nice day!
Constance,
You say you want to become the Light, again? You have never stopped and can not stop being the Light, you have simply forgotten. What I do whenever I find myself doing what I call stinking thinking is in my mind I place a big circle around my dark thought and draw a tilted line through its center. That is referred to as the NOT sign – I don’t know how universal it is. It means, I will NOT think that way. Then I replace it with a “lighter” thought. I have a friend who visualizes putting on the brakes of his car and another friend who places a stop sign over the dark thought. Use what ever is most familiar to you when stopping.
It is easy to get into habits that may not be the best for us. However, studies have shown that if you do something (i.e., stop a persistant bad thought) for 21 days in a row you create a new habit (i.e., thinking good thoughts).
Plus, doing something kind for someone else never fails.
I can see your sweet bright light from across the globe. Come out from under you lampshade and claim what is rightfully yours,
Cedar
Hi,
Is there anybody who knows about if does exists some way to overcome my own shadows?
I remember that Paulo sometimes in his books talk about small things that we can try to do in order to Live closer to our Hearts and souls. For instance in Eleven minutes (I read long ago and I don´t know if I remember very well) he writes about what Maria does to help herself sometimes. He describes the way in which she pay attention to what she is hearing when she is walking down the street: the noise of the cars, the wind blowing between the leaves, her own steps … and those things Helped her.
I know Paulo write about that things that we can do to be closer to The Mother in all of his books but I need that someone tell me right now (or remember me) what should I do in this moment of my Life. I even do not know how I feel. It´s really weird.
Anyway, if someone out there would love to share things like what I mention above to become Light again I will be glad to hear from you.
PS: And I´m sorry for my English. It´s becoming worst than before … I think I need to practise again.
The Zen master is not a master of archery he is a master of Zen. He used these techniques to help the young man how to view life in a different manner. I dbout the Master led the archer to the bridge to fall to his death, however there was no bridge, only a Mountain.
Complementing the sunrise, why do people always wonder what other people are thinking? It is bazaar. I thought of a new way to meditate, it’s called mediated-prayer. Wow, isn’t that fantastic, and it works too!
I am surprised to hear about the movie, always thought I would play a good Santiago if ever needed. Looking forward to it!
Kealan
Dear Paulo,
I have always admired your writings ever since I first read “The Alchemist”. I just finished reading your book on thoughts and reflections, “Like The Flowing River” and all I can say is that I was deeply moved and inspired by your writings. I hope you will come out with another book of thoughts and reflections in the near future. I look forward to reading your newly released book, “The Witch Of Portobello.”
In the first story the champion archer lost his focus when the outside world (the rotting bridge) distracted him (fear he would fall). The master reminded him that mastering his mind had a greater benefit. This was the champions mountain to climb.
The second mountain to be climbed was by the three people in the caravan. They each approached the man (”already on the mountain top”) with their own personal agendas: person one is lost, person two is waiting, person three is looking. The man at the top of the mountain has already learned to stop and just be.
I love stories with mountains (lessons).
Dear Shri Coelho,
It looks like the champion is a young man while the Zen master is relatively old. I thought master should have waited for the champion to learn on his own – the worth of meditation. Acquiring mastery over something is going towards the “process of insightful thinking”. If one donot learn this even after acquiring mastery then he/she is a “skilled worker who has acquired mastery” and not an “artist”.
The young man should have got time. I am sure he would have learnt. Actually, I am scared of such “masters”.
Usha Rane.
Hi Paulo!
Your writings never fail to inspire me! I especially like the second story. So many times, we are totally caught up in the struggles of everyday life that we somehow can’t believe or treasure the goodness of simple pleasures like admiring a beautiful sunset.
I am currently reading your latest work, The Witch of Portobello. I really like how you point the reader to the importance of blank spaces. We often measure ourselves by the amount of actions we have made. Now I am beginning to see the importance of non-action instead.
Thanks & with Blessings,
WaterLearner (Singapore)
Hi all,
Of the first story; I lived on that bridge, bow in hand, missing everything around me, including the beauty of the sunsets….and after so many years, I realized the bridge had been safe for so long…I began reaching my target, even with one eye on the sun (would I boast?) thus the Almighty Creator taught me to trust that the ‘best’ place to be is where we are ‘Today’, where Life is the Teacher, and when we have mastered one day, or a year, or one bridge, then we are free to move on.
Love be with you,
Thank you, Paulo.
LJ
….
The story spread about the three men arguing about the man viewing the sunset, and readers argued about the meaning of the story of the three men arguing about the man viewing the sunset.
Some readers celebrated their experiences of viewing sunsets and were happy there was a story about their happiness and expressed their gratitude to the maker of the story.
Other readers put conditions on what made watching a sunset spiritually significant or not, and thanked the maker of the story for illuminating them.
Other readers were inspired by the story to find out more about the spiritual importance of watching sunsets.
And so the story continues and will continue for as long as there are sunsets for humans to experience, which may be a very long time. Or, not.
Mimi
The mountains are an excellent place to see how simple the things can be; you eat, hike, enjoy nature and sleep. That’s all. Sunset in the mountains keeps amazing me. 3 years ago, I was on the Mont Blanc in France; whe returned from the summit and we were late. During the sunset, we were descending the snow-covered mountain. It was beautiful, the reddish evening-light turned the snow into pink. Gorgeous.
Another time in the Alps, I was in a region of white limestone mountains. The same thing happened: the sunset gave the mountains a warm reddish glow. Breathtakingly beautiful, it has something magic.
Complete control over the mind has been very important for me while climbing dangerous pitches in the mountains. The Zen master was scared too, but he wouldn’t let fear overcome him. He uses his fear to become sharp of mind and achieve his objective. I am curious about Zen and I am going to find out more about it.
Regards everyone
Fred
I’ve personally found inspiring both the stories, especially the first one. Paulo, your teachments mean so much to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
F.*
Thank you for bringing wonderful insight and clarity to my life-journey through your work. Thank you for teaching that life is full of meaning.
[quote comment="4341"]Beautiful stories. I love to watch the sunset on the beach. I do not have sucess meditating but feel Gods presense in nature.[/quote]
HI Ione ! there is nothing like success or failure in meditation, the effort is the success, the mediattive expereince may change as one keeps working at it but so far as success or failure is concerned, i feel the effort itself is success.
Paulo’s charecter says “I am here just looking at the sunset: isn’t that enough to lend a meaning to our lives?”
yes it is provided that ‘looking at’ is a conscious act. if one is conscious, no other meaning is required ( though they may come ) if one is not no meaning will fill the void.
aditya
[quote comment="4323"]The first is about fustration at not knowing the next step. As with everything mastery of self is always first and last it seems.
The second says to me after mastery of self, one does not fear the void![/quote]
…and there we look at the last part of the second story….
“Does everything on Earth need to have an explanation?
Greetings from the other side of the Ocean
Beautiful stories. I love to watch the sunset on the beach. I do not have sucess meditating but feel Gods presense in nature.
as always, paulo coelho’s insight is inspiring. i would like to thank you for not only touching my life and for millions of others. i can see that both stories are related to the principles of zen, to see the world as it is without precepts and prejudice while practicing self mastery.
i find inspiration and solace in your books and admire how you picture love in its purest form, albeit i find it easier said than done.
i too am on my own road to santiago, although not literally. i seek enlightenment through reading the principles of different religions and practices. at times, it does seem confusing at times but i know in perfect time all the lessons shall be revealed to me.
til then always your friend and student in spirit,
j
thankyou paulo for these great stories,
just like the bow and mind, they must become one, as a wise man once said “it is not the power of the fist, but the power behind it” you must become one with your tools and surroundings. death is the final step of this. when you no longer need a physical form.
also, there does not need to be a meaning in anything. some things are purposely there to not have a meaning. just because something has no meaning does not mean it has no purpose
Olá Paulo! Hi everyone!
That’s why a master is so important to go beyond. Otherwise you can lost yourself in the middle so many things during the search for the spiritual truth. Thank you, sweetheart! The text is very beautiful and wise! Love & Light! Marta
The first is about fustration at not knowing the next step. As with everything mastery of self is always first and last it seems.
The second says to me after mastery of self, one does not fear the void!
just to be,
no words necessary
Dear Paulo,
I loved both of the stories you posted today (as usual!)
Regarding the sunset one, it reminded me of a story that I may have shared here before…maybe not. It’s nothing profound and I don’t know if it even relates to what you said! Ha! But, I figure that’s never stopped me before, right?
I used to work evenings alone in an office of a soda distribution plant. The warehouse crew was there as well. Whenever there was an especially brilliant sunset, one of the guys would call me on the phone to tell me to look out the window or to come and watch it with them. We had a great view of the western sky.
I loved that part of the job and the job itself, but I hated working evenings. I longed for the days when I’d have the evenings free so that I could sit and watch the sunsets with my loved one and not have to be at work during them.
So, I got a day job and guess what? Ever since I left that job (19 years ago), life got busy, and, I haven’t found the time to sit with my loved one to watch the sunset…..ever!:(
Great stories.. especially the second one.