Morning Muse 62 : The Greatest Work Is Within
Inside each of us live hawks, eagles, rabbits, a donkey, a snake, and a lion—our senses, habits, body, words, and ego. True meditation is not escaping the world but taming these forces within. What are you training today?
9/2/20251 min read
A traveler once climbed a mountain and found a woman meditating in solitude.
“What are you doing here alone?” he asked.
“I’m very busy,” she replied.
“Busy? But there’s nothing around you!”
She smiled.
“I’m training two hawks, two eagles, calming two rabbits, disciplining a snake, motivating a donkey, and taming a lion.”
Puzzled, the man asked, “Where are they?”
“They live inside me,” she explained.
The hawks are my eyes — quick to strike; I train them to focus only on the good.
The eagles are my hands — capable of harm; I teach them to heal instead.
The rabbits are my feet — eager to run from hardship; I steady them to walk through it.
The donkey is my body — stubborn and weary; I must urge it onward.
The snake is my tongue — sharp and venomous; I keep it caged and disciplined.
The lion is my ego — proud and vain; I tame it daily.
“So you see,” she said, “my work is endless… but it is the most important work there is.”
And you—what do you work on within yourself?