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The beauty of stains
Posted by Simon Parke, 03 November 2014, 5.07pm
Some previous visitors to the retreat house had apparently complained about one or two small stains on the carpet.
Its a lovely green carpet in the wonderful front room where we met.
Such atmosphere! Such views!
And on our retreat last week, the stains became rather precious.
The stains were OK, both on the carpet… and in ourselves.
They were signs of life, signs of participation and risk.
They even became the opening line of a meditation called ‘Beauty’, written by Anna on the final day:
She kindly gave permission for it to be reproduced here:
Beauty
There is beauty in the stains…
In the cracked pot…
The black gall-afflicted Sycamore leaf…
The lacy caterpillar-eaten Oak…
The sticky soot-stained Lime…
The black rotting funghi…
The gnarled tree stump…
The wizened, bare tree…
There is beauty in death and decay…
Beauty in death and decay.
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