“till when their hearts are longing”

“Wonder is the beginning of wisdom” – Socrates

  “One never hears without opening one’s mind . . ." first step traveling the path toward attaining enlightenment – the wonder, desire, and a longing heart for wisdom.

  A seeking mind in the mind of a four-year-old girl – daughter of a friend who has  learned to read before entering pre-pre-school, once a bit of a rebel, and perhaps even “difficult” at times. Now she’s the only one in her pre-school group who can read. Could it be that even in her earlier years, her somewhat off-center behavior (not all that serious, actually) marked a seeking, open heart to discover “what’s out  there” in life. No matter what one’s age, it’s possible to begin on such a path.

  Shakyamuni didn’t hesitate to make this declaration, found in the Lotus Sutra: “I behold all living creatures sunk in the sea of suffering, hence I do not reveal myself but set them all aspiring, till when their hearts are longing, I appear to preach the law. . .  desiring to cause all living beings to attain the same way along with me.”

  “We beholding this attain that which we have never been before . . .”