Haiku Shuukan May 11th 2015 “Attaining to Self Other

Dear friends and followers,

It’s my pleasure to bring a new episode of Haiku Shuukan. Several weeks ago we started with Joan Halifax’s G.R.A.C.E and this week it’s about the “A” in G.R.A.C.E. The “A” stands for Attaining to Self Other. And this is what it is all about:

First notice what’s going on in your own mind and body. Then, sense into the experience of whom you are with; sense into what the other person is saying, especially emotional cues: voice tone, body language. Sense without judgment. This is an active process of inquiry, first involving yourself, then the other person. Open a space in which the encounter can unfold, in which you are present for whatever may arise, in yourself and in the other person. How you notice the other person, how you acknowledge the other person, how the other person notices you and acknowledges you… all constitute a kind of mutual exchange. The richer you make this mutual exchange, the more there is the capacity for unfolding.

This part of the G.R.A.C.E. idea is about seeing the other as he/she is part of you and your environment. It brought another idea in mind, a more Christian idea, maybe you have heard from it … JOY … is an acronym for Jesus first, Others next, Yourself at last. In my opinion this is the same as what Joan means in this part of her G.R.A.C.E idea.

What to do with this idea in a haiku? I don’t really know, but I have to give it a try:

a young cherry tree
this spring will be the first
to bloom for Buddha

Well … I hope you did like this (belated) post, sorry for the delay.