A world shatters.
Hafiz enters with the poem
How Do I Listen
It reads,
“How do I listen to others?
As if everyone is my Master
Speaking
To me
Their
Cherished
Last words.”
How does the heart respond?
Awareness is the how.
Gently, separate the struggling mind from body.
Place it on the loftiest cloud to rest in the vastness of the sky.
Now,
Be still
And
Witness.
Sink into the rhythm of the breath.
Feel the heartbeat’s faint throb against skin.
Hear the symphony playing through the senses.
Open the heart to what is.
Compassion’s cradle holds all with tenderness and love.
Karen Hedlund is the President of the Puget Sound Zen Center’s Board of Directors.