The Hypnotic Sleep of Life
A tree in the forest falls to the ground,
and it makes a noise when it comes crashing
down; but if there is no one to hear the noise,
philosophers ponder whether there was any
noise to be heard. Rumi said to tell it unveiled
the naked truth, because the declaration is better
than the secret. I wasn`t in the forest when
the tree came down, but I heard it. Not literally,
or in my mind; but in the clarity of my soul`s
understanding of life. “Before enlightenment,
chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop
wood, carry water,” says the Tao. I chopped
wood and carried water before I heard the tree
in the forest fall down, and I chopped wood
and carried water after I heard the tree in the
forest fall to the ground; but I was not the same
man before as I was after enlightenment. “There
is only self-initiation into the mysteries of life,’”
said Gurdjieff, who woke me up from the
hypnotic sleep of life.
Composed in Tiny Beaches,
Georgian Bay, Southcentral,
Ontario
Sunday, September 7, 2025
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