To begin, a very Zen story:
“Give me the best flower that you have,” said the man to the florist.
“Every flower here is the best,” replied the florist.
At these words, the man became enlightened.
It’s a delight and a surprise to turn the corner and see the daffodils, primroses and anemones beneath the trees in Bell’s Paddock. Before them there were snowdrops and crocuses. All signs of Spring. But which of them do you like best?
What about Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Day? Like the Spring flowers, they return each year in the liturgical round. Each year a reminder of life and death. But which is better? Which do you prefer?
What would it be like to have “no preference”, just to be open to and to appreciate what each offers? I think that is the path to enlightenment. Enlightenment may surprise us more than once and at any time – a new insight, a greater understanding, a deeper recognition. It is a process, and, as T. S. Eliot says in Little Gidding:
“… the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”
Chris Dawson