A Little Pocket Buddhism

Here's a little pocket Buddhism to get you through those times when you get a little to stressed, a little to hurried, a little strayed from your chosen path, or find yourself with an inability to parse the book of life. Its from the book Zorba the Greek by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. Ultimately, the book is about the struggle between the mind and the body - between the passionate heart and the rational thinker, and about finding your place in the cosmic rhythm.

My indiscreet desire of that morning to pry into and know the future before it was born suddenly appeared to me a sacrilege.

I remember one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree, just as the butterfly was making a hole in its case and preparing to come out. I waited a while, but it was too long appearing and I was impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled; the wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath. In vain. It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath had forced the butterfly to appear, all crumpled, before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand.

That little body is, I do believe, the greatest weight I have on my conscience. For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the eternal rhythm.

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