Standing on the plain,the wise man
pointed to the left.

As far as the eye could see.
were pastures,rivers,and meadows.

Then he turned to the right.
And looked up.

A steep mountain climbed
into the clouds,and a narrow
winding path disappeared
Above.

On the left is Hell,he said
And the path on the right
Leads to Heaven.

The meadows are pleasant;
the fruit is tasty.

But above,the wind howls
And our hands are chilled.

Better hurry
The sage is already climbing.

Did you ever notice

how your finger stops hurting 

when you go to the movies?

For two hours ,you forget it

But after you come out,

It begins to throb again.

Isn’t there a movie house

I could spend my life in

To remove my pain?

The sage tells us there is;

The problem is we have to build it;

Brick by brick.

I’ve started,but there’s

A long way to go.

Yet sometimes,already

When I sit in it,

I can feel my troubles go.

I can’t wait till

It’s finished.

The striving towards peace and spiritual understanding is difficult and daunting,but at the same time,not complicated.Like many things in life that require success, it is simple to perform yet requires patience,faith and perseverance – kind of like a really dirty brass pot that you know has  a wonderful lustre –  neath all the hardened grime. We also realize,when we begin to scour ,how much effort, determination,and time it will take to restore the pot to its original state of glowing beauty.So,we begin and follow the three words that guarantee success- BEGIN AND CONTINUE. Everyone begins ,at some time or another, but the ones who see the task through to its completion are rare. This work of the practice of God’s qualities is hard and our antagonist (the ego) is skilled and persistent.Each day we make this effort we build a part of the house -the storehouse of grace.Without this storehouse –  God’s grace has no place to reside, hence slips away. With the house ,even in construction,it offers a resting place for God’s grace and this gives us the peace we so ardently desire.

I love artichokes.I wonder sometimes who discovered the heart? Think  of all the prickly,coarse leaves he /she would have had to go through to reach that tender,succulent ,delicious center. It’s like that with people, I find. But sometimes instead of focussing on the prickly leaves if we concentrate on the center,(the goodness) of each person we discover that often the leaves part and we can see straight through to the sweet heart inside. It may not happen immediately but if we persist with compassion it will shine through and we can then taste the beauty of that soul.The important thing is: don’t give up and don’t expect; it will come in its own time and meanwhile we will, by our intent and perseverance, be tasting our own center.