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| Cape Charles, Looking North along the Tree Line OAFS Photo |
Having lately finished up a most delightful and relaxing vacation on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. one scene in the series struck me as appropriate to my mood. The scene has Henry Howard (played by David O'Hara), the Earl of Surrey, reading a poem to Charles Brandon (played by Henry Cavill), the Duke of Suffolk. This one ...
The poem struck a chord with me, so as is my wont, I looked it up.
"The Happy Life"
by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (~1517-1547)
Martial, the things for to attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain;
The fruitful ground, the quiet mind;
The equal friend; no grudge nor strife;
No charge of rule, nor governance;
Without disease the healthy life;
The household of continuance;
The mean diet, no delicate fare;
Wisdom joined with simplicity;
The night dischargèd of all care,
Where wine may bear no sovereignty;
The chaste wife, wise, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night;
Contented with thine own estate;
Neither wish death nor fear his might.
The concept of the quiet mind explains why I like to go off and just sit by myself in some quiet, beautiful place, such as this ...
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| Cape Charles, After the Rain OAFS Photo |
Much in the world is, these days, disturbed and disturbing. Many people fret over this, I do not. What will be will be. Life is too short to get spun up and stay that way.
Won't do the negative waves thing, Moriarity, ごめんなさい (gomen nasai - sorry).
I seek the quiet mind and inner harmony.
I'm getting there.
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| Cape Charles, On the Beach OAFS Photo |
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| Cape Charles, The Wooden Horse Outside my Bedchamber OAFS Photo |
¹ The concept of harmony in Japan, I don't fully understand it, but I don't need to, not really. I feel it.
Wisdom await those that wait upon it. When we were young so busy. Thus, the Seniors *might* find it. A race well run as they say.
ReplyDeleteProverbs 30 speaks to me after reading your post this morning. A SNIP as all of it could be worth reading over a cup of coffee.
30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Peace and good coffee to you friend.
Great passage, thank you.
DeleteThere is nothing new under the sun.
DeleteSigh ...
DeleteWhen I bring the vehicle in for servicing everyone else waiting there is watching the TV or staring at their Pocket Computer, I'm the only one who brought a book to read........hmmmmm....what am I doing wrong? Using a rod & reel helps bring Quiet Time to me........:)
ReplyDeleteI'll read, if it's not too noisy.
Delete"The quiet mind." Our ability and desire to "not." The, "Honey, what are you thinking about?" "Huh? Oh, nothing." moments.
ReplyDeleteI've long felt that this is a remnant of out primal hunting instincts. We sit, we watch. Nothing matters but the watching. Watch with our eyes. Watch with our ears. Everything processed in the background of the mind. Relaxed, resting, but primed to explode into action if needed. But still the mind is quiet.
Two different things, while hunting the mind is far from quiet. All senses are on high alert. The quiet mind hasn't a care in the world, all is at peace.
DeleteSarge, the concept of wa remains an elusive concept to me. The best way I can describe it as I understand it is through two items, Iaijutsu and a Japanese garden.
ReplyDeleteIn Iaijutsu, we are in a restful but watchful state - until we explode into action. Having completed it, we return to that restful and watchful state. There is peace before and peace after, a quiet restful still but alertness.
In a Japanese garden, at least as I have experienced them, there is an otherness made both by design of the garden and the nature of the things that come together in the garden. It is not any one part, but the whole.
And, apparently, my first foray into html tags was a complete bust...
DeleteAs I mentioned above, the quiet mind and the alert mind are quite different. Wa, to me at any rate, is when all things are in balance, nothing is present to disturb one's inner peace. The Japanese garden is a good example of that.
DeleteHTML tags can be deceptive, have to close that which you opened. I often forget that.
DeleteA Quiet mind is a terrible thing to waste.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy and prolong it.
That wooden horse is AMAZING!!! I love it, as art.
Now, the martial mind inquires, is that the "wooden horse" upon which naughty soldiers were placed for punishment? Also, that looks rather bulky, perhaps it should be checked for hidden compartments, or a sign "Made in Troy."
You made good time driving home, but apparently the Muse is meandering along at her own pace. No matter, the free ice cream is delicious anyway.
John Blackshoe
That wooden horse is a favorite. The horse upon which the recalcitrant wasn't as fancy, usually just a suspended wooden beam.
DeleteOften on vacation I think to myself, I could live here. But, I'm perfectly happy where I am. The Maryland shore seems to have a bit of your heart, so do you see yourself settlng down some final roots there someday? Closer to the grandkids, help for later...
ReplyDeleteSorry that's the Virginia shore, but the question remains.
DeleteI could live there, probably won't though.
DeleteMaryland and northern Virginia blend together in my mind.
DeleteLearning to center oneself is often the core of most martial arts, either Asian or European. Calmest dude I ever knew was a military sniper.
ReplyDeleteSome people call it their 'happy place.'
It's a needful thing to be able to center and relax and focus, especially in stressful times.
With the quiet mind, there is no focus, no tension, it is simply quiet, relaxed.
DeletePeace be with you.
ReplyDeleteAnd with you.
Delete