The Wooden Bench In The ‘70s – Short Personal Story from The Landscape of Enlightenment

In our early twenties, Catherine and I, like many of our generation, were living in an old farmhouse in the country. On one occasion I was outside furiously constructing a bench from old pine lumber; I was totally obsessed with getting it finished quickly. Completely out-of-the-blue something switched inside, a flash of clarity washed over me and I suddenly understood that there was no reason to rush, that I should slow down. I had shifted to a smoother way of acting. It felt almost as if I went into slow motion and immediately the whole process became effortless and faster; the nails started driving true and I stopped hitting my fingers.

When I went to finish the bench the next day the exact same experience of rushing to get it done began again, and again
I experienced a sudden stillness and as if heard a voice glide through my mind, “Easy now, slow down.” I slowed down
without even trying. This time the expanded calmness did not stop. I never again felt that frantic, anxious-to-finish experience while working or in any other activity. With this small jolt of intuitive understanding I saw that the silent stillness of my background experience was not actually disconnected from physical activity, that it has a real purpose and benefit for practical activity. This understanding made the reality of my inner silence more noticeable. From this point forward, the growth of knowingness and the close relationship of my so-called ‘inside’ experience and my ‘outside’ experience continued to unfold quickly.

Book Available now on Amazon and Kobo!

Amazon – The Landscape of Enlightenment

Kobo – The Landscape of Enlightenment