Letter to A Friend in A Hurry

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Image of the Week

You are at a crossroads, sensing there are less worldly paths you can follow, paths that feed on profound inner peace, a more encompassing joy, ever-renewed freshness of vision and inspiration, a more rhythmic sense of quiet progression. There is, deep within you, a spring so pure, one cup of its clear waters will refresh you more than all the soda fountains of the world.

For twenty nine years I lived under the hour by hour pressure of time. Its shadows closed in on me – at work, at home, on outings, at mealtimes, everywhere. Then, one day I decided to abandon all this rushing and running. If I achieved a little less, never mind! What I achieved would at least be done with joy. There and then, I composed a little poem to put on my desk:

Spirit of Truth, I thank you
That I have an abundance of time
To accomplish all I need to do
Today
Calmly, peacefully
With unhurried grace

Within twenty four hours, twenty nine years of headlong rushing slipped off my shoulders like an old, tattered cloak, because I no longer clutched it around me.

No one can ‘be’ in a hurry, I mean ‘be’ in the sense of living from the centre of one’s real inner being. Once can either rush – or be. Never both at the same time. Most people in the West have decided to rush. It does not mean you have to follow the same path. You are the one who chooses. You make for yourself the life you wish to live. So take possession of your life.

Learn to posses all things – your time, your pace of work, your moments of rest, your privacy – all. Life gives us dominion. All we need to do is exert this dominion which is ours.

‘But how do I take possession?’, you may ask.

Realise in the stillness of your inner being that, despite any outward chaos, all ideas have an order. You are a thread in a universal weaving. It is like a Persian rug: on the back side of the rug, strands of wool hang in a mess; there are knots here, knots there – knots everywhere. But from above, what a pattern you see, what order. [...]

There is in us all a deep sea of calmness.

Rest therein.

Your friend, Pierre

--Pierre Pradervand, from 'Letter to A Friend in A Hurry'

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7 Past Reflections
SR
Aug 13, 2009

Pancho,

Thanks for sharing about Meher Baba. I remembered a time when I was a kid, and was visiting my grandfather, he took me to a spiritual club he was part of in Kolkata, where they were discussing Meher Baba's philosophy. It struck me as incredible that someone would not speak for 30 years. At that meeting, someone claimed that Gandhiji had met Meher Baba on a ship when returning from the west, and was so impressed that he laid down one day of the week (was it Monday?) as his day of silence. 

Old memories came flooding back..

 

SR
Aug 13, 2009
Upon reading this piece, I wondered who the friend in a hurry was. It was not until I meditated that this became clear. It was me - the friend in a hurry, who needed to hear this. What is funny is that until there was stillness in my heart, I could not see this. I loved the passage for its rich metaphors - it contains various powerful ides. A big idea is that we are all decision-makers, not to be tossed about by the sea of life, but in charge of ourselves, if only we take possession. Possession precedes attachment, and is closely related. Indeed, we keep hearing exhortations to detach, but detachment is a negative idea. It is much easier to attach to a higher ideal. And possession is a powerful tool to make that attachment happen. I choose to possess higher ideals, and the lower ones will fall by the wayside. Right now, I possess time, and am not in a hurry. When taken to love, I possess the ability to love much more than myself.  Finally, reading about stillness is one thi... View full comment
PA
Aug 13, 2009
My family calls me Pancho and I love you all... More than three thoughts/feelings came to mind/heart after reading the passage and listening to some of our siblings at the Mehta Kindness temple, but I'd love to share with you only 3: 1. Slow down, slow food, slow science. 2. A misconception about slowing down. 3. Beyond slowing down... 1. Slow down, slow food, slow science. No one likes to be rushed, to be treated rudely or belittled or ignored or disrespected. Everyone appreciates patience, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, courage and respect. No one likes to be rushed... neither Nature, our food nor true science. Now is the time to slow down, to take a pause, to rethink the purpose of science (Genetically Modified Organisms for profit and the destruction of our magnificent biodiversity? Atomic Bombs?) and education (for the corporatization of our society?) and to cultivate our critical thinking—and our critical feeling. It is time to combine science with the soul:... View full comment
SB
Aug 13, 2009
  Just in Time...   Just in time Finding you Finding me Finding joy   Just in time Uncovering truth Discovering passion Experiencing joy   Just in time Fullness in life For goodness sake For all we are to become   8/13/2009 sb  ... View full comment
SB
Aug 13, 2009
  Time to waste, time to give, time to go, time to kill, not enough time, where’d the time go, wish I had more time, just in time… Reflecting during the week on this inspiration of “time” it was interesting to hear and to read that time is a topic that everyone is talking about; these statements about time were repeated over and over and over.   Our Wednesday evening reflection brought many valuable statements about the topic to my thoughts.   It is our choice about how we use our time. This brought home the point that we possess time and can have a healthy attachment to time in a way that we may allow ourselves to control where we choose to use our time. Even in our work and our families and relationships, we choose how, with whom, doing what and where we are any moment; we are the champions of our time!   Time is limited; it is renewed “like the water in a stream” but we never have time again. Wow this one real... View full comment
DM
Daniel McKillop
Aug 12, 2009
Dear Friends, 12 years ago my life changed dramatically. I suffered a C6 spinal chord injury that left me paralized from mid-chest down. I could use my arms somewhat but had no finger movement. I could no longer work or meet airline deadlines to attend meetings or work with business customers across the nation. I went from a lifestyle of rushing to meet committments to one of quite, boredome.   This left me with huge amounts of free time to think and that finally led to to meditation. My life is peaceful, calm, I can type now and get around very well with my dedicated loving wife who remained faitrhful to me since day one. Despite my injury my lifestyle is now controlled peaceful and meaningfull, as I now have a job at home running a " Hair Color 800 Hotline." This allows me to help hair colorists in need of corrective hair color advice; it also permits me to give back to an industry that was good to me. Qui... View full comment
DI
Aug 11, 2009

Dear Friend

Thank you so much for sharing this beauty of 'inscape" witninn us.

Thanks for opening a portal to access the Unmanifested.

God Bless You.  May I also serve others as you do unto others.

Regards

Dipali