David Whyte - It is Not Enough
Ivan M. Granger May 7th, 2008
It is Not Enough
by David Whyte
It is not enough to know.
It is not enough to follow
the inward road conversing in secret.
It is not enough to see straight ahead,
to gaze at the unborn
thinking the silence belongs to you.
It is not enough to hear
even the tiniest edge of rain.
You must go to the place
where everything waits,
there, when you finally rest,
even one word will do,
one word or the palm of your hand
turning outward
in the gesture of gift.
And now we are truly afraid
to find the great silence
asking so little.
One word, one word only.
“It is Not Enough” from Where Many Rivers Meet by David Whyte. Copyright © 1990, 2004 by David Whyte. Used by permission of the author and Many Rivers Press (www.davidwhyte.com) All rights reserved.
/ Photo by babasteve /
There is so much here, but it is a poem of silence, so I will say little and let the great silence speak for itself today…
|
David Whyte
US (1955 - ) |
David Whyte grew up in Yorkshire, England. He studied Marine Zoology in Wales and trained as a naturalist in the Galapagos Islands. He has also worked as a naturalist guide, leading anthropological and natural history expeditions in various parts of the world, including treks among the mountains of Nepal.
Whyte’s poetry reflects a living spirituality and a deep connection to the natural world.
He is one of the few poets to take his perspectives on creativity into the field of organizational development, conducting workshops with many American and international companies.
David Whyte currently lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
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Nisargadatta Quote
When I met my Guru, he told me: “You are not what you take yourself to be. Find out what you are. Watch the sense ‘I am’, find your real Self.” I obeyed him, because I trusted him. I did as he told me. All my spare time I would spend looking at myself in silence. And what a difference it made, and how soon!
My teacher told me to hold on to the sense ‘I am’ tenaciously and not to swerve from it even for a moment. I did my best to follow his advice and in a comparatively short time I realized within myself the truth of his teaching. All I did was to remember his teaching, his face, his words constantly. This brought an end to the mind; in the stillness of the mind I saw myself as I am — unbound.
I simply followed (my teacher’s) instruction which was to focus the mind on pure being ‘I am’, and stay in it. I used to sit for hours together, with nothing but the ‘I am’ in my mind and soon peace and joy and a deep all-embracing love became my normal state. In it all disappeared — myself, my Guru, the life I lived, the world around me. Only peace remained and unfathomable silence.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
‘I want my conscience to be true before you; want to describe myself like a picture I observed for a long time, one close up’
RILKE
I have realy enjoyed reading”its not enough”but the best part is your comments.they give & add colours to the origenal thought.Could you pl. give me his e-mail.I would like to express my appriciation to him personaly
Hi Dilip,
I don’t know his direct email address, but he can be contacted through his website
http://www.davidwhyte.com
Hope that helps!
Ivan
Ivan, Thank you for the meal.
Joy