When everything you've tried to put off and avoid is in front of you, when the dream you've been chasing is in your hand, when everything you've worked so hard for is a rose, open your eyes, though they're used to looking around; Let go of your mind, though it is always thinking; Open your heart, though it is stuck in the past. Gently, gently, open yourself up and look tenderly at the first thing you see. Poetry is always a sudden teacher, and this poem of mine is guided by an inner voice. This poem came out to show me that we need to let go of judgments and conclusions in order to experience the world directly again. Brain wisdom is always "clever" in teaching us to weave our past experiences together into a coat we call a conclusion. And so day after day, year after year, we end up weaving a set of what we call "principles," a wardrobe full of "history." In the end, however, all these insights, conclusions, principles, and histories become a heavy burden on our journey through life. Sooner or later, our assumptions and conclusions will form a solid screen between us and our immediate life experience. It is true that we need to gather wisdom -- it is one of the gifts of intelligence. But not all conclusions are worthy of a permanent collection. Often no matter how hard we try, our eyes are busy searching around for things we've already seen, until one day we lose sight of what's right in front of us. Our brains are busy planning, estimating, analyzing and judging, sorting things into good and bad categories, concluding that this is a blessing or a curse, a danger or an advantage. All of this prevents us from opening our minds to the world we live in. Our hearts are busy remembering how touched and cared for we once were, trying to do it again; Our hearts continue to dwell on how we were hurt, betrayed or shocked, and try to avoid that misfortune again. But getting stuck in so-called good memories or avoiding past hurts can prevent us from engaging in the present life experience. We all do. I'm no exception. Therefore, it is necessary to begin the practice of opening ourselves up and letting go of our baggage so that we can fully deal with everything we see at first sight. For if we can empty the veil before our eyes, remove the cloud of doubt from our minds, and lift the heavy weight from our hearts, the beauty and sanctity of living will be present in every moment of our lives.

In the next two sections, I'm going to explore the nature of nothingness and how we can unlock the depth of nothingness. If birds could not spread their wings to the nothingness we call the sky, they would never fly. If we do not surrender to our courage and allow ourselves to feel the sweet pain of being alive, our wings will not open. Moment of introspection ● In your journal, describe a personal nothingness you experienced (a feeling of absence) and how that nothingness led you to experience the nothingness of the omnipresent universe (real existence).

When everything you've tried to put off and avoid is in front of you, when the dream you've been chasing is in your hand, when everything you've worked so hard for is a rose, open your eyes, though they're used to looking around; Let go of your mind, though it is always thinking; Open your heart, though it is stuck in the past. Gently, gently, open yourself up and look tenderly at the first thing you see. Poetry is always a sudden teacher, and this poem of mine is guided by an inner voice. This poem came out to show me that we need to let go of judgments and conclusions in order to experience the world directly again. Brain wisdom is always "clever" in teaching us to weave our past experiences together into a coat we call a conclusion. And so day after day, year after year, we end up weaving a set of what we call "principles," a wardrobe full of "history." In the end, however, all these insights, conclusions, principles, and histories become a heavy burden on our journey through life. Sooner or later, our assumptions and conclusions will form a solid screen between us and our immediate life experience. It is true that we need to gather wisdom -- it is one of the gifts of intelligence. But not all conclusions are worthy of a permanent collection. Often no matter how hard we try, our eyes are busy searching around for things we've already seen, until one day we lose sight of what's right in front of us. Our brains are busy planning, estimating, analyzing and judging, sorting things into good and bad categories, concluding that this is a blessing or a curse, a danger or an advantage. All of this prevents us from opening our minds to the world we live in. Our hearts are busy remembering how touched and cared for we once were, trying to do it again; Our hearts continue to dwell on how we were hurt, betrayed or shocked, and try to avoid that misfortune again. But getting stuck in so-called good memories or avoiding past hurts can prevent us from engaging in the present life experience. We all do. I'm no exception. Therefore, it is necessary to begin the practice of opening ourselves up and letting go of our baggage so that we can fully deal with everything we see at first sight. For if we can empty the veil before our eyes, remove the cloud of doubt from our minds, and lift the heavy weight from our hearts, the beauty and sanctity of living will be present in every moment of our lives.

In the next two sections, I'm going to explore the nature of nothingness and how we can unlock the depth of nothingness. If birds could not spread their wings to the nothingness we call the sky, they would never fly. If we do not surrender to our courage and allow ourselves to feel the sweet pain of being alive, our wings will not open. Moment of introspection ● In your journal, describe a personal nothingness you experienced (a feeling of absence) and how that nothingness led you to experience the nothingness of the omnipresent universe (real existence).