In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Swami Paramananda entitled “O Infinite Being.” I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.
Stillness Now
O Infinite Being! O Supreme Lord!
Teach us how to pray and how to meditate.
Make our thoughts so one-pointed, deep and unwavering
that they may penetrate the inner depths of our being
and perceive Thee.
—Swami Paramananda
Imagine looking at your hand without
thinking a thought
just seeing the wrinkles at the knuckles
the hair follicles on the fingers
the bluish-pink nails with beige tips
Imagine seeing your hand and only
seeing your hand
the color of your skin
the whispers of veins beneath the skin
Your mind is quiet
There is nothing in your consciousness
other than your hand
You feel your hand from the inside
the space it takes up
There is no sense of time passing
This is your time to love your hand
all that it can do for you
This is your time to be at one
with your hand
and at one with the moment
All there is in your world
is this beautiful hand
and all the stories it could tell
But the stories do not come to you
There are no stories in your mind
There is only the smell of hand soap
and skin
maybe a hint of basil
from the pesto you made
which you don’t think about
because you made the pesto in the past
and the present is just your hand
seen and silent, scent and feel
This is a moment in which
life is so beautiful
it overwhelms you
A feeling of spaciousness
expansiveness
openness
fills your body
And you feel at one
with the air you breathe
that prickles your skin
Your attention shifts to your breath
and there is only your breath
passing through your nostrils
filling your lungs
Your diaphragm expands
Your stomach opens
And then the gradual release
out of your mouth
as your lips pucker
as if to whistle
If only every moment
could be so singular
If only your mind
could live completely
in the now
You have this moment
this taste of a silence
so deep and fathomless
this taste of perfect peace
And when you need a break
from a life-time of craziness
you need only remember
as all time becomes
that one time
Stillness
Now
