Traversing the receptive energy of water, Jack Kornfield details the power of fluidity, serenity, and gentleness.
This lecture was originally uploaded on DharmaSeed.org
The Four Great Elements
In Buddhist psychology, water is one of the four great elements (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water). Each of these elements has enormous creative and destructive power. Our bodies are made of water and from an evolutionary perspective we come from the sea. Meditation helps us touch, know, and live directly in the world. The four elements are not just metaphysical but aspects of how we experience reality.
“The element of water is cohesion or fluidity.” – Jack Kornfield
Tune into Ep. 63 of Insight Hour to learn more about The Four Elements
A Gradual Deepening // The Mystery of Being (17:05)
A spiritual journey is often quite gradual. It is not typical to one day wake up and have a deep relationship with God or become enlightened. That gradual deepening we feel as we tune into our practice is much like a body of water. We are open, receptive, and vast. The mystery of being is that we do not know our destiny or how our spiritual journey will form, but like water, we can yield to the mystery. Jack reads us this quote from the Tao:
“Do you have the constancy to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving and present until the right action arises by itself?” – Jack Kornfield
For more Taoist wisdom check out Ep. 1 of Being in the Way: Following the Taoist Way
The Gentle Overcomes the Rigid (37:14)
The ability to stay serene even in the face of stress or sorrow will bring power and peace into our lives. Softness always wins over hardness because the more rigid we become, the more likely we are to break. The ocean is a dwelling place of great beings or of the dharma. That stillness, clarity, and compassion is within us all.
Photo via YJ.K