Doing Nothing – Late Blooms

God is discovered entirely through creation - the brilliance of a sunset, the powerful roar of a waterfall, the symphony of sounds you hear in the heart of the forest, or the vastness of space and its countless stars. God is the mastermind behind all matter - every earth shattering scientific discovery and mystery that is yet to be unraveled was dreamed and enacted by God. (Benjamin F Sullivan) — God is discovered entirely through creation – the brilliance of a sunset, the powerful roar of a waterfall, the symphony of sounds you hear in the heart of the forest, or the vastness of space and its countless stars. God is the mastermind behind all matter – every earth shattering scientific discovery and mystery that is yet to be unraveled was dreamed and enacted by God. (Benjamin F Sullivan)

I just returned from another visit to Niagara Falls and it never ceases to amaze me that I never tire of looking at the Falls. The Niagara River flows over and this physical “falling water” phenomenon occurs. The fact that water falling has this magnetic power over me and millions of other people says something about the captivating nature of a waterfall.

Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness. It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall. Fulton J. Sheen quotes (American religious, 1895-1979)

Although I enjoy taking pictures of the Falls, my favourite time is when I’m sitting in the hotel room and just taking in the beauty of the Falls and the surrounding natural scenery. This time of sitting with the Falls could almost be called “contemplation” or “meditation.” There’s no sound because I can’t hear the Falls in the room. It’s just myself and the Falls sitting together silently. The art of doing nothing is not a passive state; the Taoist term for the art of doing nothing is ‘wei wu wei,’ which means : …the ‘action of no action,’ a way of acting without trying to act. Action happens by itself, spontaneously – rather than being contrived, it is more direct and natural. (thewayofmeditation.com.au) This is not a common state for me – so whenever it happens, it’s a time of real connection with what I commonly call my “self.” This leads to connection with other phenomena as well.

“Before we were born we had no feeling; we were one with the universe. This is called "mind-only," or "essence of mind," or "big mind," After we are separated by birth from this oneness, as the water falling from the waterfall is separated by the wind and rocks, then we have feeling. You have difficulty because you have feeling. You attach to the feeling you have without knowing just how this kind of feeling is created. When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact we have no fear of death anymore, and we have no actual difficulty in our life.” ― Shunryu Suzuki — “Before we were born we had no feeling; we were one with the universe. This is called “mind-only,” or “essence of mind,” or “big mind,” After we are separated by birth from this oneness, as the water falling from the waterfall is separated by the wind and rocks, then we have feeling. You have difficulty because you have feeling. You attach to the feeling you have without knowing just how this kind of feeling is created. When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact we have no fear of death anymore, and we have no actual difficulty in our life.”
― Shunryu Suzuki

In my opinion, this feeling of “oneness” is difficult to achieve in the human experience. We seem to be more and more disconnected. Every time I read the newspapers, or listen to the news, or even go to Facebook, I’m reminded of all the disparities around me. Having the opportunity to watch water falling and sitting with it as I sometimes do – brings me back to the feeling of interconnectedness that I have with all living beings and the Universe. It is a wonderful connection.

“There is a hidden message in every waterfall. It says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan — “There is a hidden message in every waterfall. It says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

For each person, the time and space that is carved out for sitting meditation, aloneness, mindfulness, or whatever one wishes to call it, will be different. I’m happy to have been able to find this time to watch water falling at Niagara and regain connectivity with myself and all living things. Hope you enjoyed the images and this time with me.

Meditation is to get insight, to get understanding and compassion, and when you have them, you are compelled to act. ( Nhat Hanh)

Tag: Doing Nothing

Water Falls