We Are All Such Beloved Fools

The fool can be beloved or not. Beloved fools are open-hearted and cultivate a “don’t know” mind. Not-so-beloved fools think they know something, or know better, or are better. What I can see, so far, is that it takes courage and fortitude to watch closely enough, over a long enough period of time (maybe a lifetime?), to see when foolishness is taking a beloved form, and when not. And to be humble when “not.” Which, in my own investigation, is *not* as infrequently as I’d like. Have you done this yet? If not, that’s today’s invitation. Take a look, now and for as long as you can. Playfully and joyfully, but also with diligence. See what you see. See when your own fool is beloved and when not. Decide what to shift. Have fun with it. See how it goes.

Transcript

Hi, It's Judy, And this is Wake Up Call 536, And I am beaming into you from Norway, From Oslo. Where it is five o'clock but it looks like noon out there. Very light up here. So we are on chapter five of the Dhammapada, Which is called The Fool. And here's how the chapter begins. How long the night. To the watch person. How long the road to the weary traveler. How long the wandering of many lives to the fool who misses the way. My children, My wealth, So the fool troubles themselves. But how have they children or wealth? They are not even their own master. The fool who knows they are a fool is that much wiser. The fool who thinks they're wise is a fool indeed. So that's a little bit of a compilation of the first few verses. And it's advice maybe we've all gotten, Don't be a know-it-all, Be humble. Um. . . For me, Just as a lawyer, It was about seven years into practicing law before I felt like I knew anything at all at all. Um I'm sure it was shorter for other people. I'm a slow learner, But it was a great exercise in humility. And plenty of times, Then and since. I was the fool who thought they were wise, My only issue. With saying that is, You know, The Dharmapada, The Dharma can be kind of intense. So I wanted to start out with just proposing that we maybe have a loving definition of the fool. And. . . So, I mean, After all, In the Tarot, The fool is a beloved card. It's something that signifies openness and possibility and playfulness and trust. So you could say it's the beginner's mind card. From a dharma perspective, And that's why the title of today's Wake Up Call is We're All Such Beloved Fools, Because I mean, At least when we're aware of it, Sometimes it's good to be a fool. Right? So that's what it says. The fool who knows they're a fool is that much wiser. But if we're talking about a fool as opposed to someone who is wise, Someone on the path and the fool is not, Then Then what then? Then the wisdom referred to in this chapter is the wisdom of being awake, I think, Of understanding that this being human is a bumpy ride. Of understanding that our lives are by design, I don't know, By design, By nature, Just slipping through our fingers. That our constructs of ourselves are both far too sticky and not nearly expansive enough. And that we're all in this together, That above all else, You know, We're here to care for one another and to lift each other up and to love. Or anyway, So that's what I'd call wisdom. And in a funny way, That's not that different from wisdom in the law. Because wisdom in the law at its best isn't about, You know. Succumbing to overwhelm when a client brings us their bumpy ride troubles day after day. Um It is about remembering that whatever we're able to accomplish is someday only will be dust, The dust of a long gone civilization, A long gone legal system. And it's about knowing that we don't really know as much as we think we do or as much as we wish we did. And it's about remembering that in the end, We're just here to care about each other. So beginner's mind or the mind of the beloved fool, Sometimes called don't know mind. And it matches up with these first lines of chapter five. If we think about it this way, We're all fools if we think we know, Think we can see. Um, I think we can see clearly. Think we understand any of what I just offered, And that certainly includes me for even trying to articulate that wisdom. In our household, We use the phrase, Often wrong, Never in doubt. To gently remind one another not to be so sure. Of everything. To remember to soften the mind, To soften the heart. To live in beginner's mind. To be more curious and I like that for myself. I like it for everybody. It feels like a gentler way to live in the world, In this world, Especially in this world right now, Right? And then there are these lines, Next set of lines. If the traveler cannot find master or friend to go with them, Let them travel on alone rather than with a fool for company. And that maps onto a bit of Dharma that I've heard many, Many times, That if you can't be in the company of wise friends, Be alone. The invitation, Again, Is to be humble, To be curious, To live in beginner's mind or don't know mind, And to surround ourselves with other people who are also doing that. And I feel lucky to have good friends who are much, Much wiser than me. I love being with them. Sometimes they have great ideas or insights, But sometimes it's just being with them and observing them, Seeing and articulating things so clearly. You know, Sometimes that's plenty. And they inspire me to study and to practice more. And they offer something else these wise friends as well. And when I'm confused or stuck in delusion or hatred or fear. I can borrow their wisdom. You know, And this is a practice I really love of sitting down quietly next to someone wise or if they're not available, Just imagining that they're sitting nearby and letting their wisdom support me. And if I'm lucky, Letting their wisdom inform my understanding as well. And yeah, I hope that you all have people like this in your life. Also, Or that you can recall who has touched your life in that way, And that you can call to mind and imagine yourself kind of wrapped in their wisdom, Or maybe wrapped in their love, Which is probably not different. Okay, So be humble, Cultivate beginner's mind, Seek out wise friends. And then the chapter gets a little more intense. It says, The fool is their own enemy. The mischief they do is their undoing. How bitterly they suffer. Why do what you will regret? Why bring tears upon yourself? Do only what you do not regret and fill yourself with joy. So right, Great question. Why do what you will regret? Great question. There are not tons of things I regret, But there are definitely some. I'd like to think that if I'd known I was being my own enemy, I wouldn't have done them, Wouldn't have wanted to bring tears upon myself. And I mean, Isn't that true for all of us? You know, We'd like to think we'd do things differently with the wisdom we have now. Um I heard somebody the other day say that a friend of theirs who's a law professor said, Everyone is entitled to representation. Everyone is entitled to a lawyer, But it doesn't have to be you. So it's like, Yeah, You know, Think about who you're going to represent and what you're going to do. Okay, So how do we avoid this mischief that's our undoing? Isn't that a great phrase, The mischief that's our undoing? We follow the path. And we engage in non-harming. We cultivate something that James, James, You've taught me over and over and over and over and over again, About the bliss of blamelessness. Thank you. Something that's just settled into my heart as an aspiration. You know, We communicate and act wisely. We practice non-harming. We remember that we belong to one another. So to me, That seems like the best way to avoid the mischief that's our undoing. And then finally, The chapter says, Fresh milk takes time to sour. So a fool's mischief takes time to catch up with them. Like the embers of a fire, It smolders within them. They want recognition, A place before other people, A place over other people. One way leads to wealth and fame, The other to the end of the way. Look not for recognition, But follow the awakened and set yourself free. So. Again, Cultivate beginner's mind and be vigilant since, You know, Beloved foolishness takes time to see. We can't always see it right away. And don't try to become known as the leader or the teacher or don't try to become known as anything at all. I know that runs a little counterintuitive to our profession. Just pay attention and wake up and live into the bliss of blamelessness and be free. Okay, So let's sit. I don't have my bell here with me. So I'll just. Begin leading, Find a comfortable posture. And. Usually for me, The bell is the signal to let all the words go. So I'll just suggest that you do that. Let all the words go. Whatever has any usefulness to you will. Will be there when you need it. And then find your posture for the next few minutes. Something supportive. Something that feels. . . That feels upright and dignified and also freeing. Can you find a posture that feels freeing to you? And maybe. Bring the attention to the top of the head. And let it flow down. Through the face. In the back of the head. And the neck. See if there is some. Some relaxation available to you, Some freedom. Bring the attention to the shoulders and to the right arm and then to the left arm. All the way down. Through the arms and hands and fingers. Is there a little. Little more relaxation available to you, A little more freedom. Bring the attention to the torso. And just gently let the attention flow down from the shoulders through the chest and the upper back. And there. Middle of the abdomen, Middle of the back. Lower abdomen. Lower back. Pelvic floor. And see if there's some relaxation that wants to happen in the torso. Some freedom. Just what's available right now. And then in the hips and the tops of the legs. The knees and the calves. And the feet. Little bit more relaxation is available. Want a little bit more freedom. And then see if you want to just rest the attention lightly on the whole body. Just the sensations of the body as they come and go. Noticing if things begin to tighten up. Enjoying the parts of the body that are looser and freer. And if the attention strays, Just coming back. To the body and this body that we each have this Beloved body. In all of its. Changing and moving pieces. It's. . . It's beloved foolishness. It's silliness. It's Uncontrollability. Unfathomableness. The foolishness of, Yeah, Just being human. Shanti Shanti. Thank you for being here. Sending you daylight from very close to the top of the world. Take care, Everybody. I'll see you next week.