Thanks to FreeFoto.com

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Loveliest of lovely things are they
On earth that soonest pass away.
The rose that lives its little hour
Is prized beyond the sculptured flower.
(William Cullen Bryant)

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Still life with Roses
by Robert Duncanson

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A flower was offered to me;
Such a flower as May never bore.
But I said I've a pretty rose tree.
And I passed the sweet flower o'er.

Then I went to my pretty rose tree:
To tend her by day and by night.
But my Rose turned away with jealousy:
And her thorns were my only delight.
(William Blake)

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Thanks to free-images.org.uk

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Once upon a time a rose and an amaranth grew side by side in a beautiful garden.
The amaranth had become quite jealous of the other's beauty, and said "I'm not surprised that everyone loves roses. You're all lovely!"
The rose shook her head and replied, "We bloom for a time, and then our petals fall off and we die. But your flowers never fade, for they're everlasting."

And the moral is - Greatness carries its own penalties.

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This video "Roses in my Garden" was uploaded by dimagaiduk

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Like swift water, an active mind never stagnates. (Anon)

[Thanks to FreeFoto.com]

I came where the river
Ran over stones;
My ears knew
An early joy.
And all the waters
Of all the streams
Sang in my veins
That summer day.
(Theodore Roethke, The Waking)

By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and, being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger, but moved slowly.

For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, "There is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

(Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh)

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This video was uploaded by maple1255 who has added those words.

"After the sun has set behind the mountains, the air becomes a little cooler and then there is the of pleasure of sitting by the river, and watching the birds still darting above the ever flowing river. Sometimes later elk can be seen as they come to lower ground to feed in the fields over night."

The music is by the South Korean pianist Yiruma.

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MUSIC HAS CHARMS
an ongoing collection of popular classics
http://musichascharms.blogspot.com

The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud, the obstacles of life and its suffering. . . . The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. . . . Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles - sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one. (Goldie Hawn)

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The Holy Isle, Firth of Clyde

One day Ryokan a Zen master was walking on the beach. There had been a severe storm and thousands of little starfish had been washed up on to the sand. Realising that they would soon die, he started to pick them up and throw them back into the sea.

A fisherman who was going for his boat saw what Ryokan was doing and told him he was wasting his time. There were thousands of starfish lying on the shore and, since there was no possibility of rescuing them all, his efforts would make no difference.

Indicating the starfish in his hand, Ryokan replied, “It will to this one.”

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A star looks down at me,
And says, “Here I and you
Stand, each in our degree;
What do you mean to do -
Mean to do?”

I say, “For all I know,
Wait, and let Time go by,
Till my change come,” “Just so,”
The star says, “So mean I -
So mean I.”
(Thomas Hardy)

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This video was uploaded by bcsyddonxu

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Namasté

As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and the water,
so the wise one speaks in peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world
(Sutta Nipata)

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Down in the forest something stirred
So faint that I scarcely heard,
But the forest leapt at the sound,
Like a good ship homeward bound.
Down in the forest something stirred,
It was only the song of a bird.
(Harold Simpson )

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"Bird on a Branch"
12th century silk painting by Li Anzhong

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Do you ask what the birds say? The Sparrow, the Dove,
The Linnet and Thrush say, “I love and I love!”
In the winter they’re silent - the wind is so strong;
What it says, I don’t know, but it sings a loud song,
But green leaves and blossoms, and sunny warm weather,
And singing and loving - all come back together.
But the Lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
Then he sings and he sings, and for ever sings he -
“I love my Love, and my Love loves me.”
(Samuel Taylor Coleridge )

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An old Cherokee was telling his grandson of the battle that goes on inside everyone - a battle between two wolves.

“One of them is Evil,” he said, “full of anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride and superiority.”

“And the other?” asked the boy.

“He is Good,” the old man replied, “full of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth and compassion.”

The boy thought for a moment and then spoke. “Who will win?”

“The one you feed,” was the answer.

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Uploaded by aSecretAgent

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Namasté

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If it's drama that you sigh for, plant a garden and you'll get it.
You will know the thrill of battle, fighting foes that will beset it.
If you long for entertainment and for pageantry most glowing,
Plant a garden and this summer spend your time with green things growing.
(Edward A. Guest)

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Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcernedly find
Hours, days and years slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep at night; study and ease
Together mixed; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.
(Alexander Pope)

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Untitled
by Lilla Cabot Perry

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This is a story about a monk who was in charge of a Zen Temple garden. He made sure that all the flower beds, bushes and trees were always kept neat and tidy.

He was thrilled to hear that a famous Zen Master, having heard of the beautiful garden, was coming to see it. On the day before the visit the monk worked tirelessly to make sure that everything was immaculate.

Accompanied by his students, the Master walked round the garden, smiling approval at everything he saw. Finally he walked over to the tree in the centre of the garden, seized hold of it by the trunk and shook it violently. Leaves showered down all over the ground. He turned to the monk and said, “You have a real garden now.”

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Thanks to NEWoceanflower2008 for uploading this.

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Namasté

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A Haiku

in the japanese
garden just the soft whisper
of running water


Thanks to FreeFoto.com for this photograph taken at the Japanese Garden, Interlaken, Switzerland

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Love made a lotus flower
by Joan Grigsby

Love made a lotus flower with seeds of stars
And set it in a garden far away.
I, passing by upon a summer’s noon,
Gathered the flower and carried it away.

Cool in my hand the silken petals lay
And all night long, below the watchful moon,
I dreamed of love but, long before the dawn,
The petals faded with the setting moon.

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The Lotus is believed to have originated in Egypt, the Indus River Valley and Mesopotamia.

There are many stories about the lotus flower, some of which have been passed down from the earliest times.

The flower has always been associated in some way with religion. Christians have related the lotus to the divine nature of Jesus of Nazareth. Buddhists see the flower as a symbol of enlightenment, and images of Hindu gods are often depicted seated on lotus flowers.

In some way the flower is a icon of spirituality that unites people of different religions.

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Thanks to Elsa Laura Lily for uploading “The Beauty of Flowers.”


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Namasté

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Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

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To a Butterfly
By William Wordsworth

I’ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! Indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

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Filmed at Xcaret, the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Uploaded by JCVdude. Music by Emerson Antoniacomi

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There is a famous story about Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) the Taoist master. One night he dreamed that he was a butterfly fluttering around from flower to flower. It had all been so real that when he awoke he was quite surprised to find that he was a human being. And then the thought struck him, “Was I really dreaming I was a butterfly, or am I actually a butterfly dreaming that I’m a man?”

Chuang Tzu and a Butterfly

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If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now. And when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong (Masaru Emoto)

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Love’s Philosophy
by Percy Byshe Shelley

The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In another's being mingle--
Why not I with thine?

See, the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower could be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?

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"El Rio de Luz" (The River of Light)
by Frederic Edwin Church

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A Taoist story tells about an old man who stumbled as he walked beside a river and fell in.

Some onlookers were shocked to see that the strong current was carrying him to a place where the water cascaded over dangerous falls. Within minutes the unfortunate man had reached the danger spot and he was immediately lost to sight.

Fearing the worst the people soon came to a rough path which led down to the bottom of the falls. They were astonished to see the old man coming out of the water and, as it turned out, completely unharmed.

“How did you manage to survive?” they asked.

“Well,” he replied, ”I didn’t fight the water. I curled up and went with the swirl and came out with the swirl.”

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In this video "The River is Flowing" the music is by Lindie Lila.
Uploaded by beggindogs



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Namasté
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Here, in this sequestered close,
Bloom the hyacinth and rose;
Here beside the modest stock
Flaunts the flaring hollyhock;
Here, without a pang, one sees
Ranks, conditions, and degrees.

Here, in alleys cool and green,
Far ahead the thrush is seen;
Here along the southern wall
Keeps the bee his festival;
All is quiet else - afar
Sounds of toil and turmoil are.
(from “A Garden Song” by Henry Austin Dobson)

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I own a solace shut within my heart,
A garden full of many a quaint delight
And warm with drowsy, poppied sunshine; bright,
Flaming with lilies out of whose cups dart
Shining things
With powdered wings.
(Amy Lowell)

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Wang Xizhi by Qian Xuan 1235-1305

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At a certain monastery the monks had a vow of silence, but were allowed to say just two words every ten years.

After his first ten years was up, one monk went to the head monk who asked him what his two words were.

He replied, "Bed hard!"

Ten years later he again appeared before the head and this time his two words were "Food stinks!"

After another ten years had passed, he again reported to the head monk's office.

"What are your two words this time?" he was asked.

"I quit!" was the reply.

"And good riddance," said the head monk, "You've done nothing but complain since you came here!"

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This slide show "Lotus Flowers and Water Garden" was uploaded by DebSharpL

The music is by Enya

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"By the Lotus Pond" every Tuesday and Friday