Rilke: Only In Our Doing

Du wirst nur mit der Tat erfaßt

Only in our doing can we grasp you.
Only with our hands can we illumine you.
The mind is but a visitor:
it thinks us out of our world.

Each mind fabricates itself.
We sense its limits, for we have made them.
And just when we would flee them, you come
and make of yourself an offering.

I don't want to think a place for you.
Speak to me from everywhere.
Your Gospel can be comprehended
without looking for its source.

When I go toward you
it is with my whole life.

When I first went to Korea, I visited Su Dok Sah, an important temple deep in the mountains. Behind the main temple grounds, a set of granite stairs wound up the mountain to a smaller temple set high on a ridge. These stairs were hand constructed by a famous Zen master (whose name I no longer remember), an elder who chose the silent work of crafting stone as a way of illumining the world.

This old master went into the world with his whole life, stair by stair. He offered himself as a riser for those who would walk up the mountain. Perhaps someday I will walk his path again.

Rilke's Book of Hours, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

Comments

[Suzanne]

Going toward whatever-it-is with your whole life is what everyone does, whether they think so or not or whether apparent others judge them to be doing so or not.

[Genju]

Oh... this brought me to tears!

When I go toward you
it is with my whole life.

with each brush stroke, key stroke...

Thank you, Barry. Again and again, your teachings open doors of practice for me.

[Steve]

"silent work of crafting stone as a way of illumining the world."

Thanks for these words

[Joseph]

When you make it back,let me know!
I'll join you! ^^

[mama p]

The mind is but a visitor:
it thinks us out of our world.

=jolt=

I don't want to think a place for you.
Speak to me from everywhere.

~settle, shine, go~

(or, "the bra is off", ha ha)
This is a great, great, timely thread, thank you so much Barry.

[Barry Briggs]

May we all go bra-less. Thanks, everyone!