Journey

I am travelling in the same old road every day

One strange day I felt the tremor in the air,

Sky seemed to come closer to my forehead,

I forgot to travel in the familiar path.

Magical call came from the land unknown,

I have to go, I have to explore.

Thorny bushes  scratched my skin,

The pebbles on road  hurt my bare feet,

But I have to walk this strange road, I don't know why.

And then I saw a little prince.

The little prince greeted me and walked by my side,

Song of chirping birds filled the music in the air,

Fragrance of fully blossomed roses captivated me,

I need to get enough of it.

I have to stay here, I have to live here,

Touch of roses soothed my skin,

Cold water relieved my bare feet,
The magic of this land made me forget all my woes.

I am walking in this road, I know why.

Past and Future

Once there lived  two Zen monks Tanzan and Ekido, who were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains. Near a village, they came up on a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep ,it would have ruined the silk kimono she was wearing. Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side.The monks walked on in silence. Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekiso couldn’t restrain himself any longer. “Why did you carry that girl across the road? He asked.” We monks are not supposed to do things like that”. “I put the girl down hours ago” said Tanzan.” Are you still carrying her? “

The past lives in us as memories. But memories themselves are not a problem. It is from memories that we learn from the past and from past mistakes. It is only when memories, thoughts of the past, take us over completely that they turn in to a burden. Our personality which is conditioned by the past then becomes our prison. We often say’ this too will pass’.  Everything will pass, whether they are good or bad. Like the bad times, the good times will pass too. “Nothing ever happened in the past can prevent us from being present now. And if the past cannot prevent us from being present now, what power does it have?”.