…The Buddha went quietly on his way, lost in thought. His peaceful countenance was neither happy nor sad. He seemed to be smiling gently inwardly. With a secret smile, not unlike that of a healthy child, he walked along, peacefully, quietly. He wore his gown and walked along exactly like the other monks, but his face and his step, his peaceful downward glance, his peaceful downward-hanging hand, and every finger of his hand spoke of peace, spoke of completeness, sought nothing, imitated nothing, reflected a continuous quiet, an unfading light, an invulnerable peace….
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This is Siddhartha’s description of the Buddha in the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse written in 1951. I guess I read it first when I was in my 20′s. It was my entry point to the world of eastern religion, which growing up in a non-religious family in rural Oregon I’d never encountered until then. I so wanted the world to be a gentle place and still do, and it so isn’t. Yet it would seem it is possible to walk quietly through the ungentle world and remain peaceful.
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Deep Thought: If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I’m a coward.
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I lived in Salem Oregon for the 4 years prior to marrying Exlog and moving to BC. Such a beautiful state.
Deep stuff.
Hi you two. I had stumbled across exlog’s site first and how nifty to find you are a team.