When you are battling a conflict, making a tough decision, or simply seeking comfort, it can feel serendipitous when the perfectly expressed sentiment finds you. You could be grappling with a problem for weeks and someone says exactly what you needed to hear, or you read something that gives you an “a-ha” moment. You might feel like the universe has sent you an extra-special delivery!
Earlier this week, a friend shared a teaching from Krishnamurti, the Indian writer and philosopher. He shared it with many friends but when I read it, it felt like the universe had personally addressed it to me. It opened my heart and mind in exactly the way I needed.
I have felt so grateful to be with these words all week as I bring their wisdom into my own life. As a “thank you” note to the universe, I decided to pass the teaching on to all of you.
"Listening is an art which very few of us are capable. We never actually listen. The word has a sound and when we don't listen to the sound, we are always interpreting it, trying to translate the word into our own particular language or particular tradition, but we never listen acutely without any distortion. The speaker suggests perhaps respectfully that you so listen. Not interpret what he says or translate what he says into your own particular terminology or according to your own knowledge, but listen. When you are telling a story, rather exciting story to a little boy, he is listening with tremendous sense of excitement, curiosity, full of energy. He wants to know what is going to happen. Who is the villain? Who is the heroine? And he is waiting excitedly to the very end. And we grown-up people have lost all that capacity of curiosity, the sense of energy to find out, the energy that's required to see very clearly things as they are, without any distortion. And we never listen to each other. You never listen to your wife, do you? You know her much too well, or she you. There is not a sense of deep appreciation, friendship, amity, so that you listen to each other, whether you like it or not but you do listen. And if you listen so completely, that very listening, that very act of listening is a great miracle, because that listening, like seeing, observing, is very important." - Krishnamurti
So thank you, Universe. We can all use a bit of wisdom, but sometimes you send it at exactly the right time.
- TaraMarie Perri
Have you had any words of wisdom shared with you recently? If so, pass them on here in a comment. You never know who is reading MindBodyBrew that could need them right now!