Un'antica montagna, un giovane lago

Una montagna era li da sempre, aspettava ed aspettava; nel tempo dell'attesa un sacco di acqua cadde su di lei, il vento sussurrava su di lei, fulmini e tuoni erano sopra di lei. Si mosse parecchio, rocce sempre cadevano, nuove grotte apparivano, boschi crescevano sopra a boschi.

Ma adesso, adesso era pronto! Adesso tutta la sua asperità era sparita, tutti gli angoli acuti erano smussati, era bello camminare su di lui, le sue colline eran soffici, bellissime dolci curve dappertutto.

La pioggia che iniziò quella notte era gentile, cadde così per quattro mesi, la montagna l'aspettava,
era così contento per le sue gocce sull'arido suolo; anche la pioggia era felice, adesso trovava così tanti luoghi per riposarsi e fermarsi, poteva restare li ed avrebbe nutrito tutti gli esseri che vivevano su di lei.

Un mattino il sole era uscito scintillante su un nuovo mondo, c'era un bellissimo lago dappertutto
e la notte vennero le stelle a brillare su di lui.

I giorni passarono, tanti alberi crebbero, alcuni potevano mettere le loro forti radici, gli animali trovavano cibo e l'acqua era dappertutto.

Un giorno un saggio venne ad incontrare la montagna; si guardò attorno sorridendo tutto il tempo.
Ed allora disse ai suoi discepoli: guardate! Così dovrebbe essere un saggio!
Osservate questa montagna, ha aspettato così a lungo per essere completo!
Adesso ogni cosa, ognuno trova pace in esso: possiamo solo imparare dalla sua pazienza e saggezza,
adesso ha trovato in lui spazio per il suo lago. ..

-----------

Montagna e Lago sono due degli otto antichi "Trigrammi" cinesi,
Pa Kua, alla base del famoso “I Ching, il libro dei mutamenti”.



La Montagna (fermezza), è rappresentata da due linee Yin ed una linea Yang sulla cima,
deriva da Terra (tre linee Yin) dove la sommità, una linea Yin, si è trasformata in una Yang.



Il Lago (gioia) ha due linee Yang ed una linea Yin sulla cima (qui è la linea base che cambia, da Acqua, perché l'Acqua incontrando una base forma laghi, mari.

L'acqua ha bisogno di un posto per stare, per riposare e fermarsi, le serve una montagna confortevole che le dia il benvenuto.

Così, Yin e Yang si influenzano vicendevolmente, il lago porta gioia alla montagna, riempie le sie nude rocce con alberi e fiori, gli animali possono vivere.

La montagna è la nostra nuca, ferma e alta, accogliente.
Il lago è il nostro viso, deve essere aperto e pieno di gioia.

Nella vita quotidiana mettiamo la montagna davanti a noi:
mettiamo davanti a noi tutte le cose che ci bloccano,
la nostra vita diventa un monte difficile da salire.
Dobbiamo rovesciare la situazione per correggerla:
rimaniamo sulla montagna ammirando gli spazi aperti del lago davanti a noi.

Ma la storia ha anche un significato più profondo, una mente rigida è come una giovane montagna,
nulla può sopravvivere  su di essa perché troppo acuminata;
una persona saggia ha molte più "curve" nel suo carattere,
gli altri cercheranno i suoi suggerimenti e il suo appoggio.



Altri post sull'I Ching:
1) I Ching - 2) Gli otto Trigrammi - 3) I Trigrammi Lago e Montagna - 4) Esagrammi 11 e 12: Guerra e Pace - 5) Esagramma 29: Kan

An ancient mountain, a young lake

A mountain was there from ever, waiting and waiting; in this waiting time lot of water fall on him, wind whispered on him, lighting and thunder was over him. He moved a lot, stones always fallen, new caves come out, woods grew over woods.

But now, now he was ready! now all his sharpness was gone, all the narrow angles where gone. His hills where soft, was nice to walk on him, beautiful round curves everywhere.

The rain that started that night was gentle, fell like that for four months, the mountain was waiting for her, he was so pleased of her drops on the arid ground; the rain was happy too, now she had so many places to rest and stay, she could stop there, and she would have nurtured all the beings that where living on him.
One morning the sun was out shining on a new world, there was a beautiful lake everywhere, in the night the stars where shining on her.

Days passed, beautiful trees grew, strong ones could put their roots, animals found food and water everywhere.

One day a wise man come to meet the mountain; he look around smiling all the time. And then said to his disciples: look! this is how a sage must be! Look at this mountain, he waited so long to be complete! now every thing, every one founds peace in him. we can only learn from his patients and wisdom, now he has place in him for his lake...

-----------

Mountain and Lake are two of the eight ancient Chinese “Trigrams”, Pa Kua, the base for the famous “I Ching, the book of changes”.

The Mountain (stillness), is represented by two Yin lines and one Yang line on the top, it comes from Hearth (3 yin lines) where the summit, the Yin line has changed in a Yang line.

The Lake (joy) has two Yang lines and a Yin line on the top (here the base line changes, from Water, cause water founding a base becomes lakes, seas).

The water needs a place to stay, to rest and settle down, needs a comfortable mountain that welcomes.

So Yin and Yang influence each other, the lake brings joy to the mountain, fills the nude rocks with trees and flowers, animals can live.

The mountain is our nape: must be like a mountain, still and high.
The lake is our face, must be open and full of joy.

In our normal life we have the mountain in front of us: all the blocking things of our life we put in front, our life becomes a mountain hard to climb.
We must change to the right situation: we stay on the mountain admiring the open spaces of the lake, in front of us.

But the story has a more deep meaning, a stiff mind is like a young mountain, nothing can survive on it cause it is too sharp, a wise person has much more "curves" in his character, other people like to search for his advices and comfort.

Mare

Era una bellissima giornata.

Il mare era azzurro, splendido.
Il suo cuore era in tumulto, lei era lontana almeno 6000 chilometri, in un'altro continente.
Si amavano, ma li sulla spiaggia non sapeva che fare, sdraiato a pensare a lei, un libro subito riposto, si un po' di musica giovava, era la loro musica, ah, quelle canzoni ascoltate in cuffia le notti passate con lei, magiche. Il mattino sempre arrivava troppo presto.

Quel mare li davanti... Un bagno, va bene, altrimenti a che serviva un mare sì bello?
Anni prima una corrente inaspettata lo stava portando via, l'angoscia passata lo portava a non fidarsi più di sé, del mare. Meglio stare dove l'acqua era più bassa.

Questa volta però, appena entrato, il suo sorriso gli apparve ed anche la sua voce: Carlo, let you go! Ah! Si era lei, di lei si fidava, decise di arrivare alle boe, l'acqua era dolce, un altro po'... Paura? No, perchè? Aveva imparato che la paura è mortale, irrigidiva, tirava sotto; il suo sorriso...

Due settimane passaron così, ora non vedeva l'ora di entrare in acqua, l'accoglievan il suo sorriso e le sue dolci parole, nuotava piano, a rana per lunghi tratti; il godimento era estremo, faceva all'amore nell'acqua, ma l'acqua era lei, lo facevano piano, teneramente...
Ora il mare era tornato mare, non più per tirarlo sotto, ma per sostenerlo con gentilezza.

Partì, le vacanze li eran terminate, le avrebbe ricordato per sempre, ma... ma come mai in due settimane non una goccia d'acqua dal cielo, una dolce brezza sempre, il mare caldo come piaceva a lui? Era strano..
Lei continuava a sorridergli.

Sea

Was a beautiful day.

The sea was blue, splendid.

His heart was in turmoil, she was far away, at least 6000 kilometres, in an other continent
They where in love, and there on the beach he didn’t know what to do,
laying on the sand thinking of her, a book suddenly closed; yes some
music was helpful, was their music. Ah, those songs listened with the
earphones the nights passed with her, magic ones. The morning always
arrived too early.
That sea in front of him… A bath, ok, otherwise what was for a so nice sea?

Years ago a suddenly current was bringing him away, the anguish pass
through brought him to not have trust in himself and in the sea. Was
better to stay where the water was not so high.

This time however, at soon he was inside, her smile appeared and even her voice: Carlo, let you go!
Ah! Yes, was her, he had trust in her, he decided to arrive to the
buoy, the water was sweet, little more… afraid? No, why? He had learned
that fear was mortal, stiffen up, pulls down; her smile…

Two week passed in that way; now he was waiting the moment to go in
the water, he was welcomed by her smile and her sweet words; he swim
slowly, breaststroke for long stretches; the enjoyment was the
greatest, he was making love in the water, but she was the water, they
did it slowly, tenderly.

Now the sea was again the sea, no more for pulling him under, but for supporting him softly.

He left, the two weeks holiday there where over, he would have
always memories of them, but… but how in two weeks not a drop of rain
from the sky, always a mild breeze, the sea warm has he liked? Was
weird…

She was still smiling to him.

Carlo Lopez

Loves

Love is not well understood. People "fall in love," are so happy for some months and after this nice time, things become weird: something blocks and stops.
Most loves these days are like this.

What happens?

We can say that "love is not a decision of us, of the lovers," it's a decision of God. We "fall" in love.
For some months, we still make no decision because the flow is so strong and beautiful we have no need to do anything.
But arrives a time when we start deciding, we get jealous, scared of what will be, afraid to loose the other. These feelings are always projected on the other, our beloved is still our beloved, but... If maybe he did this, or that... And at one point the flow doesn't work anymore: no flow = pain.
Usually at this point the couple stops, one leaves, finds a new love, new interest, the other suffers for a while, for some time.
And?
And all starts again, one other circle starts... No hope.

What we can do?

When all things go wrong we must consider what we are doing and stop, but not stop the relation, we must leave this decision to God, not to ourselves. This is called having "faith in God".
And we must energetically clean all what we are projecting on the other. We must "clean" our thoughts, our anger, jealousy, we must "forgive" her, him. This is called having "faith in the beloved"

Then we must wait, wait with our hearth open, wait sitting near God: what will happen will be the right thing.

With a kiss to my beloved
Carlo

----------------------

Two poems by Sheila, a beautiful one where there is love and one where love seems to be gone and we are alone.

"When I Arrive"

When I arrive,
I won't come with gifts.
I won't have flowers or chocolates.
I won't bring champagne with a couple of glasses.
When I arrive,
I won't come with tricks.
I won't be on a tricycle juggling balls.
I won't have a buzzer on my right hand.
When I arrive,
I'll have me, myself and I.
I won't even have make-up on my face,
I'm not even going to get dressed up.
I'll be all me, in every meaning of the word.
A smile planted on my face
and my heart in a bow for you to own.
So, person I have come to love,
will you take me as I am?

"Pieces of me"

And a scream bursts
from dozens of lungs
that pierces the air
and splits atoms and
cracks bones
and breaks hearts.
It was only me.
Dripping sweat from every pore,
breathing becomes irregular
and my bed is surrounded by strangers.
They were only me.

by kind permission of Sheila “zaphi” Sanchez