The Gentlest Thing in the World

 This makes absolutely no sense, "The gentlest thing in the world is an open mind", just the absolute nature of this statement means the author does not have an open mind.  "Since it doesn't believe what it thinks, it's flexible, porous without opposition," if you don't believe what you think, how could you begin to present this philosophy? How can you write an article or present an opinion without thought and without presenting those thoughts in the form of a belief? This entire article is written from one persons view and perspective on the world, those views and perspectives are generated from our thoughts and our beliefs and our experiences, that is why this article is not open minded at all, it's a very definitive view on why people should have an open mind. 
Hence the problem with this persons philosophy in general and even outside this article, how can you teach people to question beliefs and thoughts without running into a circular problem? How can you ask people to question their thoughts and beliefs and attach no value to them without questioning your thoughts and beliefs in asking them to question their thoughts and beliefs? Why do your thoughts and beliefs have value? And theirs don't? If your philosophy is meant to be universally applied than you have a huge fallacy in your philosophy and a circular problem. 
And I think you should apply your own thoughts and beliefs on the matter and question the entire philosophy, ask yourself, "is it true"? 

 Yesterday I went to Bushy Park, in Teddington.  It is a lovely large Royal Park where anyone can go, free of charge.  There are deer who live there. 

As I got out of my car I noticed there was a new herd of young deer hovering around the Leg of Mutton Pond.  Most of them decided to cross over a wooden bridge to the other side of a stream that flowed into the pond..  They had that air that young children have.  The whole world was new and they looked wide-eyed at the world around them.  They clearly had very little experience and they were gathering experience every minute - as it happened. 

Three of them were a little nervous of crossing the bridge and they started walking along this side of the stream but something blocked their way.  They dithered.  They did not know how deep the water was in the stream - but they could see the rest of their herd munching away on the other side.  All of a sudden  one of them bravely risked it.  He plunged into the stream - which was deeper than he thought it might be  - and he took another leap from the stream up onto the bank. It all made a lot of noise.  He was shocked by his daring and he was soaking wet - but alive.   He careered around  shaking himself wildly as he joined the group on the other side. 

The other two dithered.  They were not at all keen on experiencing what their foolhardy friend had just experienced - even if he was now with the rest of the herd.  They dithered.  They dithered.  Then both together they managed to turn themselves around in the tight corner they were in and decided that the wooden bridge was a better deal after all.   Though there was a bad-tempered swan hovering around and enjoying intimidating young deer as they approached  this bridge.  They got to it and negotiated it with its slatted planks.  They couldn't run even though she was scaring them because they might just catch their hooves in between  two of the slats if they hurried. 

With relieve they managed to get past the swan and over the bridge and at last join the herd they knew they would feel safer munching alongside.

i made my way to a bench and continued to experience more of life's adventures happening in and around the Leg of Mutton Pond  in Bushy Park.

I was sitting in the waiting room at an ophtalmologist's when a very shy and gentle looking lady entered. She seemed lost and asked me whether she should go and knock at the doctor's door or wait. I told her the custom was for the patient to wait for the doctor to come and fetch him or her, and we sat on in silence, I, rather impressed by her extraordinary timidity and gentleness. Then ,all of a sudden she asked me:' the observer is the observed, isn't it?' I was baffled that she would address such a question to a complete stranger, at such a time and in such a place. But she was so gentle and sincere that I heard me say, possibly out of compassion: 'Yes, the observer is the observed'. She looked relieved: 'You see, I feel so awkward, even with the simplest things'. I then must have said something like 'never mind that ' but I was curious to know why she had asked such a question and had trusted me with the answer? And after a few more exchanges I understood that she loved to paint gardens and that when she painted flowers and trees she felt she was what she painted and then felt unsure of being quite normal and how disquieting this could be.  

 My first writing of this seems to have gotten lost in cyberspace, so I do this second writing in a state of some frustration and aggravation -- the opportunity to let go and be is immediate for me at the moment. The author of this piece said well what being nothing means.  To me, being nothing means being no thing, attached to no thing including to no think, no assumption, no prediction, no expectation, no agenda.  It means being in pure process, detached from any content.  It means being totally in the present, totally in isness.  I think of doing as different than being in that doing implies committing some physical or mental action.  However, I think truly doing no thing means to be in a state of being no thing, and the two are the same.  That's too much thinking for me, so I'll move on.  I was in being no thing in utero and for a short time thereafter, and since then I've had only moments of being no thing, and those moments were few and brief.  For me, being no thing is a state of detachment from things and awareness of being part of all that is and one with all that is.  That state, that feeling and awareness, is a moment of heaven. 

 I was touched by reading this.  I often think I would like to be no one going nowhere, then I realize I'm only thinking that, and I am someone going somewhere.  I'm wanting to communicate my present experience to readers now yet I wonder if a blank space or no response would indicate being no one going nowhere.  But I realize indicating being no one going nowhere is only me indicating.  I'm reminded of Lao-tzu who said: "The way they can be said is not the way."  To paraphrase Gandhi: There is no way to being no one.  Being no one is the way.  I believe we are all one which makes me no one but that is me thinking that.  I forget if it is Pema Chodron or some other woman who wrote the book: Being No One Going Nowhere.  I highly recommend it.  Thanks for helping me come closer to being no one which is somewhat like being everyone which is like noticing we are all one.  Thanks for the opportunity to respond.  Warm and kind regards to everyone