Ok, so I’m going to cheat quite shamelessly today, and hope a few kind bloggers forgive me.
I’ve been dipping into this book: The Poetry of Zen , translated and edited by Sam Hamill and J.P. Seaton, and want to share it with everyone.
So I’m posting the poem I love best, and linking it up.
Twice.
I know.
I’m being a bad blogger–but life has gone a little belly-up, and I’m trying to stay cheerful, and connected.
1LinerWednesday has been on my list of things to blog for a long while. I love Linda Hill’s posts, and everyone else who blogs one line or more each Wednesday, so that’s the first link.
The other linky is by the wonderful duo Natasha and Esha, for the #WordlessWednesday. My post is anything but wordless, but I’m hoping the words in the picture would find their home.
If either of these linkies catch your fancy, read up on the rules (do not follow my example), and add your Wednesday posts!
What Wednesday bloghops do you host/ participate in?
What do you think of Lao Tzu’s poem–do any of the lines stick with you?
How has your week been 
like, so far?
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I co-host the monthly We Are the World Blogfest: I’d like to invite you to join, if you haven’t as yet, to post 
the last Friday of each month a snippet of positive news that shows our essential, beautiful humanity.
This monthly event has brought smiles on the faces of a lot of participants and their audiences, and somewhat restored their faith in humanity. Here’s a sampler. Click here to know more. Sign up here and add your bit of cheer to the world on the next installment of September 28!
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The older I get, the more I appreciate the poignant power of paradox. Lao Tzu puts it as well as you have edited it. 🙂
Each Lao Tzu poem contains wisdom to sustain a lifetime. We live in a dual world of paradox.
Whatever helps us to blog, right? Point is you are back here. And that’s a thought provoking quote. Loved it.
Thanks, Vinitha, and glad you found the poem worth your time.
Lao Tzu is my personal favourite and thank you for sharing these wonderful lines. Even though wordy we are so very glad to have you join our #WordlessWednesday link up. Your post resonates and is a lovely life lesson for all of us at #WW.
Thank you.
Thanks, Natasha, and hugs to a fellow Lao-Tzu fan! I’m very relived you and Esha took so kindly to my post.
You are special to us and that’s what matters. ?
Awww. sending you hugs. hope to see you irl soon 🙂
Yes, real soon! ❤️?
Hey! Thank you for joining our #Wordless linky party this week, Damyanti! Love the profound words of wisdom you shared—Lao Tzu is a favourite and I’ve always admired the simplicity with which he hands us the essential life lessons! Nice to see you back to blogging, and cheat days are also okay, every once in a while. I’m all for it. Stay blessed and have a relaxed weekend accepting things that you probably cannot change. Please remember this too shall pass, someday!
Thanks, Esha. You guys are very kind to let me get away with a wordy Wordless post! Things are better, and look likely to improve further with all the positive wishes from friends like you 🙂
Is there anything like a bad blogger? No, I suppose. As long as one is keeping the blog alive i.e. blogging, reading a bit of others, commenting, sharing, bonding in the community, one is all good. Life goes through ups and downs and sometimes it is, like in my case, a long spell of procastination but we come back. A mix of wordy and wordless does not repell on a Wednesday 😀
Also, I have to thank you for reading, liking, commenting and sharing my post even before my sharing it in the FB group. It mattered to me 🙂
Thanks so much, Anamika. And I love your blog–so was happy to come across your post!
That poem is intensely deep and I read it three times to really absorb some of it. Lovely share Damyanti and stop feeling so guilty; we all take shortcuts time to time and have a plethora of reasons to do so – glad to see you writing back.
Shalini, it is a poem that can take a lifetime to absorb and practice–i keep returning to it all the time. Thanks for the love–I’m glad to be back, too.
I think being ‘bad’ and me answering on Thursday somehow fit into this poem. It did not rain yesterday which would normally make it a gardening day. Except when it is a donate platelets day. Depending on one’s perspective that might be an even better day. Unless one does not take a narrow perspective. So stay a little bit bad blogger Damyanti…. PS it is so nice to see you again. Pauses fit into the poem too…
“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
Like you said, John, it all depends on the perspective.
So glad to see you here, too, John!
I’ve been linking up with #WordlessWednesday for a month and half now. I end up writing the story behind the pic making it wordsmith Wednesday. I know you had a lot to deal with but I’m just happy that you are back. So full points for the effort and a tight hug from me.
Yay, a fellow blogger with a wordy Wednesday :). hugs back, and loads of love.
A lovely poem indeed. I too participate in Wordless Wednesday… not yet for One liner (and yes, my WW is hardly wordless and not even wednesday today when I published it!)
The week has been average to be honest… going through a prolonged rough patch…
I hope your weekend is going better, and all the best for the coming week. I’m hoping to keep up with the occasional Wednesday post!
I like Kalidasa writings.
How did you come across Kalidasa? I read him in the original, a long time back–must locate the copy again.
Here’s a snippet of translations from Meghadootam I found 🙂
What! A cloud? A tumble of vapor, heat, water, wind
To deliver a message from sentient living beings
Not figuring that the eager yakṣa
asked it – him –cloud
The lovelorns’ nature is such – poor things –
They cannot discriminate
betweenanimate-inanimate
Kālidāsa calls him “guḥyaka”
It means yakṣa, but also, ‘mysterious’
Wearing his heart on his sleeve
Our yakṣa is anything but
Introduced to me by a dear Indian friend long ago.
Not many know Kalidasa beyond India, so I was surprised. This explains it :). Have you read any Tagore?
I lived in Bharat Mata for twenty years so I read widely. Yes I’m familiar with the writings of Tagore. There’s one of his sayings that have stuck in my mind over the years which in paraphrase goes something like this “I’ve spent so much time tuning my instrument I forgot to play the song.” I wrote an article around that thought some time ago.
I’m so thrilled to find an unexpected Tagore reader. Like Kalidasa, no one really reads Tagore outside of India, and I’m moved that you’ve read and appreciated him.
Loved the poem <3
And no dear you are not a bad blogger. 🙂
Where ever you are, whatever you do I wish you all the best.
Stay cheerful…
Love & Hugs
Bhavna
Thanks, Bhavna, hugs much needed today! Now do you see why I blog? All this love 😉
?….
I love the poem.
That’s SO good to know, Peter. We have all these discussions about the world going to hell in a handbasket, and i thought this poem brings so much wisdom and perspective. “Recognizing virtue recognizes evil.”
I just asked you how you liked, it on Twitter. Now I know.
a wee bit of writer (and everything else) fatigue. Looking forward to cooler, less smoky weather to regenerate in the outdoors. My past two weeks including an entire… 1500 words in a rewrite. That’s it. pfft. I think I blogged something, but it’s a blur. I hope you are okay, things begin to look up asap, and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Oh Claire. Sorry to hear you’re going through one of those blurry times.
I’ve been practicing a lot of deep slow breathing, and self-awareness of emotions and that has helped.
I can’t change the situations I’m in, but I’m trying to be in touch with my emotions and react better.
Sending you hugs and love.
I probably should participate in more blogfest events but I don’t have the time.
I know. Time becomes an issue when I get carried away with reading or writing and life.
That’s why the cheating, today 🙂
Bad blogger! We forgive you.
My week is preparing and waiting for the hurricane to hit…
Oh dear. Stay safe and warm. Will keep you and yours in my thoughts, Alex.
Nurture things without possessing them.
So important, right? Nurturing without possession is true love.
Indeed!!!?