Welcome to Living a Life of Gratitude.
I'm Sarah Wiseman.
Stacking Stones There is a practice of stacking stones that is both old and new.
In the study of Wan Buddhism,
For example,
Ancient stone statues have been shown to have similarities in the configuration,
Size,
Number,
And geometrics of pagodas constructed long ago.
Even today,
People flock to Buddhist temples in Asia and stack stones that represent their wishes,
Hopes,
And petitions,
Each stone corresponding to an ancestor,
Family member,
Or situation in the stacker's life.
You will find these stacks not only at Buddhist temples,
But worldwide at retreat centers in gardens and woods and deserts,
Besides rivers and near the ocean,
Wherever people might find stones and stack them.
Many stacks are built simply for luck,
The blessings of the gods,
Or the practice of spiritual devotion.
It's interesting to see that stones are not nature in the same ways that trees are nature.
Stones are not living beings in the normal way we think of sentient forms,
Having breath,
Having life.
But the question pulls.
Do stones have consciousness?
Do stones have soul?
Spend some time stacking stones by a river one long,
Leisurely afternoon,
And you will become to know them more intimately,
These creatures that are not creatures,
These energy entities that resonate so differently from tree,
Animal,
Insect.
In America,
Even in Europe,
We're such young civilizations.
In the span of the history of the planet,
Not even yet a blink of the eye.
We don't understand how to deal with the big issues of birth,
Life,
Death,
And the continued,
Continuous cycle of the soul living in earth body.
We're so attached to everything we suffer all the time.
We don't know yet that true spiritual progression takes more than one lifetime.
When we work with stones,
These beings or objects that have a much longer history than we do,
When we begin to connect with this slower,
Deeper vibration,
We become aware of the vast energies that exist in our world.
To stack stones requires patience.
It requires a process of selecting the right stone,
The ones that call to you for this reason or that,
And then fitting these stones in a way so that gravity is precisely courted,
Balance is achieved.
So many things to consider,
Which stone,
How to place it,
Which stone to place it under or over,
And always the intention,
And always the intention,
Whether known or emerging behind each stone stack.
The totality of the stack as a wish,
A prayer,
A reminder for you to see now and for others to see much later.
Stones are older than we are.
They have seen so much and they remain in place if they are not disturbed.
If they are left in peace,
They will stand for centuries.
To create a stone statue is to create a statue that stands as sentinel for the next person,
The next beings to discover,
Even if your stone stack is built privately in a place that only your future self will come across again.
Stack some stones.
Notice their heft and weight in your hands.
Notice the patience that is required to find balance.
Wish some wishes upon your stones or say some prayers.
Another time,
Another day,
Return to these stones and understand how you and your life have changed.
Stones do not change much in a lifetime.
We will change enormously.
Let the stone stack be a marker for who you are today.
