I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone. ~Rainier Maria Rilke
We know a lot, it’s true, but we don’t know everything. Even though we act like we do.
We worship scientific materialism–the belief that the only thing that exists is physical reality and we look for reasons to debunk any evidence to the contrary. If we can’t see, hear, smell, touch it, how can it exist?
We believe that our particular form of religious practice is the one true path. That the Bible was written by the hand of God and should be taken literally. Or we interpret the Buddhist teaching life is about suffering to mean that it’s not about anything else, either.
“What is the mechanism behind Reiki?” my friend, the mathematician asked me. Because in his world of logic, order, numbers and science, there must be an explainable mechanism.
I’ve come to believe that much of what we take for granted as fact is narrow and limited.
That there’s plenty of evidence that mechanisms outside of physical reality and science exist and can be harnessed for our greater good.
That there are many paths to the truth and no one religion has the answer.
One of my dearest friends brought this Rilke quote to my attention because, she, like me, is interested in knowing the secret things.
The things many are afraid to look at, much less accept as possible.
The things that people work overtime to not believe.
Here’s a Buddhist maxim I believe in:
Open heart, open mind.
There’s no end to what we will encounter when we open our hearts and our minds to the possibilities.
Because if we’re not looking for the secret things, we’ll never see them.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Carol. In life we have to be open to all possibilities, all truths and be open to all points of view. We can’t limit ourselves to one doctrine of thought. Open heart, open mind. Fabulous.
I love the teachings of Stuart Wilde, who suggests that “logic is death to that part of you that is a miracle worker”. I’ve decided that it feels much better to live by the concept “miracles happen every day and anything is possible which I’ve made my mission statement. Great blog Carol. Once again.
When I read your post, I thought of the quote that says something like, “The best teachers are the one who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see.” I think that this post is so relevant to our day in age. We’re constantly bombarded by advertisements telling us where to look and coaxing us into seeing what they want us to see. Thanks for the reminder, Carol!
One of my favorite parts of practicing open mindfulness is when I am proven wrong. I kind of love seeing something I didn’t expect…especially when I was so sure I was right. Thanks for the reminder.
Yes! As my husband, who is studying Buddhism now, likes to quote, “If your glass is full, there’s no room to pour in anything new.” I can’t remember the exact words (!) and am sure it’s more eloquent than that but you get the idea!
Oh Carol…You had me at Rilke. Openness is more difficult for most of us because for the most part, it always translate to a transformation within us. And changing isn’t always painless. However, without change, there is no evolution. If we learn to see, seek, accept or even just listen, we could learn so much more, be so much more, and in the process, learn to be at peace not just with ourselves but with others, no matter how different they may be. This is a great reflection for the weekend. Thanks as always xoxo
If we can teach ourselves to be open to new ideas and teach our children to have the same curiosity and tolerance, the world would be on a better path.
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I wholeheartedly agree with you, Carol. In life we have to be open to all possibilities, all truths and be open to all points of view. We can’t limit ourselves to one doctrine of thought. Open heart, open mind. Fabulous.
I knew you would think so!
I love the teachings of Stuart Wilde, who suggests that “logic is death to that part of you that is a miracle worker”. I’ve decided that it feels much better to live by the concept “miracles happen every day and anything is possible which I’ve made my mission statement. Great blog Carol. Once again.
I love that quote, Rosie. Thank you for sharing it.
Very nice post and I get it. Open minds are a very good thing. !!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Beth, nice to see you here!
One of my favorite versions of this is “Believing is seeing.” We see what we believe.
Me, too! I wrote about it just a while ago, here, too!
Open your heart and mind and you open a lifetime of adventure!
Quite true! Open your mouth after making one of your great recipes and you’ll be very happy, too!
I love this quote “Open heart Open mind” that says it all!
I love an open heart!
Thank you, Carol, for sharing these wonderful thoughts.
So glad you popped in to say hi!
Oh how I agree. If only your thoughts were contagious, it seems the world is in dire need of this sort of acceptance.
Yes, it is. I despair, sometimes.
Think of the positive changes we could make in this world if only we would open up our minds and our hearts. Great post, Carol!
It’s awesome to consider, isn’t it?
When I read your post, I thought of the quote that says something like, “The best teachers are the one who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see.” I think that this post is so relevant to our day in age. We’re constantly bombarded by advertisements telling us where to look and coaxing us into seeing what they want us to see. Thanks for the reminder, Carol!
Good points, Kim!
Wonderful.
😉 thank you!
I couldn’t agree more. I never, ever want to stop learning.
That’s what an open heart says, for sure!
I think that this is the core of one of the most important lessons we can pass on to the next generation.
What a good point!
One of my favorite parts of practicing open mindfulness is when I am proven wrong. I kind of love seeing something I didn’t expect…especially when I was so sure I was right. Thanks for the reminder.
Some surprises can be so good!
Amen, amen. And such a beautiful way to go through life, don”t you think? Tweeting this fabulous post!
Thank you, MsLana!
Yes! As my husband, who is studying Buddhism now, likes to quote, “If your glass is full, there’s no room to pour in anything new.” I can’t remember the exact words (!) and am sure it’s more eloquent than that but you get the idea!
That is such a great concept, Lois.
Preach it! The choir is singing with you and, hopefully, spreading the message….
Piping in from the alto section with me, Ruth?
Oh Carol…You had me at Rilke. Openness is more difficult for most of us because for the most part, it always translate to a transformation within us. And changing isn’t always painless. However, without change, there is no evolution. If we learn to see, seek, accept or even just listen, we could learn so much more, be so much more, and in the process, learn to be at peace not just with ourselves but with others, no matter how different they may be. This is a great reflection for the weekend. Thanks as always xoxo
Joy, as usual, you move the concept smartly along to the next level: transformation. Thank you.
I am addicted (in a nice way) to your weekly messages. Thank you!
Awww. Well I’m happy to tell you they are DAILY! So stop by and have coffee with me every morning!
If we can teach ourselves to be open to new ideas and teach our children to have the same curiosity and tolerance, the world would be on a better path.
This was fabulous. Thank you. I needed the reminder to look for the secret things. Much appreciated.
Open heart, open mind. This is how I do my best to live in the world. I’m gonna share this Buddhist maxim….it is perfect!