06 Dec Humility – December 7 2018
Posted at 18:30h
in Daily Thoughts
Humility is the understanding that one doesn’t know; or that, perhaps, there is more to know. The idea that one ‘knows’ has to be set aside, so that the mind is empty to receive.
Sri M
There are certain things one can do to stay humble. Being in a body is one of them. As long as I am in this body, it’s a guarantee that I will have new things to learn.
Studying or visiting teachers such as Sri M – this shows me again and again that no matter how much I have studied or how long I have meditated, there are souls far, far advanced from my own.
Having a new puppy – so much life, so much youthful ignorance, so much neediness. Much like me, but much cuter.
Why seek humility? As Sri M says, ‘the mind must be empty to receive.
And besides, the alternative is sooo much work. It’s much easier to say, ‘I don’t know,’ than to pretend I do know.
And one other thing: when life feels like being run over by a truck, I’ve learned to say to myself, ‘It will be interesting to see how this turns out.’
Today I will assume that I have something to learn, and that life/God/nature will be more than happy to teach me, if only I ask.
Bud Powell, 8 weeks, Studio City, CA