The Song of the Bird

“Here I am with you,” says God, “and you keep reflecting about me in your head, talking about me with your tongue, and searching for me in your books When will you shut up and see?”

Do you wish to catch a glimpse of God? Look intently at creation.

If you really heard a bird sing, if you really saw a tree…you would know. Beyond words and concepts. What was that you said? You have heard dozens of birds sing and seen hundreds of trees? Ah, was it the tree you saw or the label? If you look at a tree and see a tree, you have really not seen the tree. When you look at the tree and see a miracle—th

On the street I saw a naked child, hungry and shivering in the cold. I became angry and said to God, “Why do you permit this? Why don’t you do something?” For a while God said nothing. That night he replied, quite suddenly, “I certainly did something. I made you.”

DIOGENES The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus, “If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils” Said Diogenes, “Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to cultivate the

The Zen masters put it succinctly: “The one who knows, does not say. The one who says, does not know.”

THE SONG OF THE BIRD The disciples were full of questions about God. Said the master, “God is the Unknown and the Unknowable. Every statement about him, every answer to your questions, is a distortion of the truth.” The disciples were bewildered. “Then why do you speak about him at all?” “Why does the bird sing?” said the master.

SEARCHING IN THE WRONG PLACE A neighbor found Nasruddin on hands and knees. “What are you searching for, Mullah?” “My key.” Both men got on their knees to search. After a while the neighbor said, “Where did you lose it?” “At home.” “Good Lord! Then why are you searching here?” “Because it’s brighter here.” Search for God where you lost him.

In the depth of that silence, he heard it! The tinkle of a tiny bell followed by another, and another and another…and soon every one of the thousand temple bells was pealing out in harmony, and his heart was rapt in joyous ecstasy. Do you wish to hear the temple bells? Listen to the sound of the sea. Do you wish to catch a glimpse of God? Look inte