acceptance
...I remain here with you
Because the wind is cold outside.
And where else could I go.
Life's a long lonely road, besides.
It's just the human's lot
Like birds who must live in pairs
Like animals who must have their lairs,
I too need a mate...
.....
I was very inspired to be able to follow this spiritual practitioner to the deepest and most private corners of Her being. The reader finds Her in love and passionate; in despair as well as in happiness, when the spirit gloriously shines to when the mind is engulfed by the fire of passion. I could feel the seemingly endless and dramatic inner struggle between ignorance and enlightenment, between the upward struggle of righteousness and the downward pull of enticement. I no longer see the model of spiritual asceticism that leaves one desiccated due to abstinence as being correct for spiritual practitioners. On the contrary, I have seen clearly a refreshingly new image which is bright, innocent, and full of life. The poet refers to matters, that are normally seen as prohibited, in a carefree manner; mentions former loves with tranquillity; talks of passion with a pure heart; recalls all the sadness with a heart that is no longer sad; and talks of past despairs with a heart full of hope. This positive, relaxed and uninhibited attitude surely can only exist when a spiritual practitioner has reached the pinnacle of enlightenment. No reader can avoid the heart-wrenching emotion when reading of the poet's uncertainty as She faces the struggle between staying with Her husband and renouncing the world.Thu Phong