Pick a random book, one that has already been read, or that is of intriguing subject matter, and select a page. Just flip it open, fan the pages and find a paragraph or sentence.
Read it.
See if it applies somehow.
This practice has become my personal horoscope. Virgos are a quick study anyway.
There is always something, some relevancy, a connection.
Sure sometimes I need to stretch a little, but more often than not, the practice provides a minor moment of WOW.
Of late this has been with pictures too. I will have an image in mind (we all know the complete randomness of THAT), and bingo, when I run through files in storage, there is the digital conniption.
I wish I could do this when editing. I 'see' what I want, but have to spend hours searching files to find it, and then it is never exactly what I envisioned I wanted.
This happened twice today.
I snagged a book from throw-away doom and put it on the kitchen counter. As I was mixing some rice, beans and onions for lunch I spotted the book and initiated the random flip protocol. Found this total gemstone:
…you must come the three realizations. First you must realize that life is fleeting. Next you must understand that you are already complete, worthy, whole. Finally you must see that you are your own refuge, your own sanctuary and your own salvation. (Buddhism, plain & simple, by Steve Hagen).
After that cosmic refresher (and lunch) I went back to work. I was thinking about a relevant image to accompany this profundity. A moment in time popped into my consciousness like one of those old flash bulbs that melt with volcanic magma upon use. I saw the gate and I saw the sentinels. I felt the symbolism.
The sentinels are guarding the gate. They are armed with the thorns of sleep. To pass one must know three things. There is a test. Upon completion you may pass.
Welcome home.
http://www.buddhist-book-reviews.com/general/buddhism-plain-and-simple
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