Vincent Causse's Sermons

Life can be compared to a river. Rivers often get their water from many tributaries, or smaller streams, that join together but the tributary that started the farthest distance from the river's end would be considered the source, or headwaters. Our own life experience starts the same way our source is the beginning of our education, the tributaries are all the things that contributes to our life learning experience, they can be good or bad but in the end those make the flow of our stream grow and slowly become a river. Everyone knows that the shortest way to go is the strait line, the water of our river is seeking the easiest path. On its way, our "life-river" find obstacles and while confronting them, winds it ways around until it is strong enough to get through, eating bit by bit though the land, or take its final shape avoiding the obstacle, but the water from the source is not the same water as it is now , with each tributaries adding its own additive and with each obstacle, the river s water will carry off minerals, earth, maybe floating pieces of wood and other element collected in the struggle that with change its color, its density, its shape, its speed, overall, its identity and character. Following its path, the river will change in many ways, but it will always remain one and the same body of water. Struggles are parts of a rivers life so it is part of ours, and sometime our river might face greater threats, It may one day even be stopped, this would could brutally occur by a land slide that would create a dam and then our river would stop flowing, the water would accumulate all it past and present but the pressure will build up and the dam at some stage will break, leaving great roaring water charged with all sort of material pushing and destroying everything in its way, until it comes back to it s normal flow! After that, the river might never be the same again, the power of its roaring water might open a new route a new future but again never mind its past the body of water will still remind the same, only its geographical shape would have changed. And during that time it would still have gotten bigger, due to maybe rains, again more tributaries to become a big huge, large river. The land slide will not easily be forgotten but as rivers do, it moves on, it cannot hold grudge against the slide nor keep on feeling hurt by its own great rushing water after the break! It is important then to realize where it came from, what it was and how it became the slow and maybe monotone flow of this land mark, one forget about its past! or even forget about what it is now! But its slowness is not without strength. It is in fact unstoppable and it is heading straight for its future, an Estuary pouring into the sea still an always one and the same body of water, one river made of its whole life story, but it is not the small stream it used to be nor it is only a river, as it has become the Sea!

I like this Vincent! I want to throw a little dash of Kobos spice on this. For a long time i didn't pay attention to the river that was my life and in it's way it plowed down many things, unstoppable indeed but not fluid as the river that it has become. I think about mountain glaciers once in a bit. A beautiful sight if you can ever take one in. Like the river of life they move. We don't notice though because it is so slow we do not have the time to pay attention. Like the river the do not stop for obstacles, but unlike the river they just bury them flow over them and obscure them crush them.

I noticed a stream trickling through the bottom one day and from there I saw the rivers so many in so many directions. Yet as you said they all go to the sea. So I ask others was there ever a time your river was the glacier? Is there times now when you river freezes over? Do you notice the the water under the top layer still flows though we cannot see it?

Just wandering thoughts.

Much Love,
Kobos

Too true some river do freeze over but bellow the flow goes on. There s many things that happens to Rivers , some have disappeared of earth surface but still run underground to reappear somewhere else. Rivers are the "source" of much poetry , art , Philosophies, life and stories.
Always welcome mate

Habits
Has any of you ever said : I have a really bad habit , or talking about someone : that is a really bad habit. But where does good and bad habits starts in our daily life, how much of what we do every day is a habit? I bet we all know someone very taciturn, of chronic complainer, someone who seem to be incapable to see anything much positively. Having a positive or negative attitude is as well a habit. I found a found some interesting definitions in my old paper back Webster who says : “An acquired response or set of response; a cultivated tendency and a tendency toward an action or condition, which by repetition has become spontaneous. “ So a habit that we picked up for a reason or another has become so natural that we might believe that it is who we are , it is our personality ! We took the habit to sleep late so we say that we are a nocturnal person, we have the habit of getting angry, and we say that we have a quick temper. Yes, I said it, I’m really into thinking that it is only a habit! yes I know we have lots of excuses layers of them protecting our home made rabbit hole. For example, for whoever who has had experience with violence at home, that it is verbal or physical, the perpetrator always has good excuses and other to blame! But isn’t it only a habit.
Big question What in our life that has become a habit but that we have persuaded our self that it is only who and what we are?
Some of those bad habits are a must to reflect on and get rid of. But habits are like nails sank in hardwood, they are hard to remove and they must be replaced, like our bad eating habit replaced by a good diet! Every one of those bad habit has it counterpart, quick to anger can be replaced by patience and compassion. Somehow good habits seem to be harder to take ! maybe it is what the dark side of the force means! One need strength to resist anger, it is only too easy to let it all out, leave all that makes us human aside and let violence take it s place. Anger is weak. Actually anger will always make you feel guilty, so if it s your habit to get angry quickly denial will be become another habit!
Meditation as we often talk about it can become a habit. Some people have trouble finding their inner sanctorum because inner peace is not easily acquired, it takes time, perseverance and consistency. It must become a part of our daily routine so that it in the end become THE habit, when we will not be slave to our emotions and the constant chatter of our mind but peace instead.

The hunter s mindfulness


So often we find ourselves in periods of our life where we cannot see the end of our problems. All and everything seems too much, overwhelming like a nasty whirlpool trying to swallow us. The question then arises, what should we do, where to go, what is the next step when we then feel so confused. Just like having our senses bombarded all the time, not knowing what is what anymore and feeling quite lost. So what to do? We sometimes say to take our problems one by one, step by step and the story I will tell you might be a good way to visualize.
Let’s close our eyes, a hunter is deep inside a beautiful ancient forest. Hunger has already settled since a while, maybe fear of not finding the next meal. He takes a knee, closes his eyes, emptying his mind of fear, worries and all thoughts. He lets his sense open up to the forest, listen all the sound become clear, every leaf tree sounds, branches cracking, whining: he is separating them from animal noises, bird chirping, playing is the trees, a crow not far croaking watching him, a rabbits making his way, sounds of insects, a bee that could lead to sweet honey could be so welcomed; he feel the slight wind that brings smells of his surrounding, animal odors, humus maybe sweet berries to help with his immediate hunger; then he opens his eyes and look down right in front of him, he sees unnaturally broken little branch, disturbed leaf, tracks. He is now ready, his whole being focused on the task at hand. Only now he is open to all the details, all the clues that will lead him to where to make his next step. No need to spend too much energy seeing that he's already tired, following the information that all his senses give him and having himself at peace will allow him to take the best decision from the deduction he made of all the clues his senses helps him perceive. So he takes another step and takes a knee once more. There is no hurry anymore, there is only the here and now and his goals. Taking those small steps and rest time allows him to think about the tracks and possible prey he has found or where to actually find one. But he is not thinking senselessly; he's become mindful and in full awareness of his instincts. He finally sees a plan, a picture of what, where and how things must be done and being fully ready he puts his plans into action. Acting out of desperation or with a busy tired mind leads to making mistakes, that could make an already complicated situation worse and when talking about hunting! deadly. To begin with maybe our hunter was worried about not finding any food, he thought about his family being hungry at home, the possible outcome if he did not come home with food and his immediate need for a snack to give him strength. He did not let himself give in to panic. Take a knee, clear your mind, open your senses, find a solution to your immediate need, make a step repeat.