There is a story in Zen that when asked the essence of Zen, the monk replied, "1..2.3..."--a reference to the fundamental meditation practice of repetitively counting the breath to 10. The breath becomes the focal point that can be returned to over and over again as the mind starts to wander.
In this poem by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904 – 1973), we are asked to be quiet for a count of 12. While meditation deepens as we learn to stay quiet and focused over an increasing length of time for daily practice, there is certainly value in stopping throughout the day in a momentary, "mini" meditation. We collect the moments and find our thinking clears as we move about the day more calmly. So I add Neruda's poem, "On Keeping Quiet, " for this Sunday post. It has the poetic tone of prophecy for our pandemic times. (Susan Nettleton)
Follow the link to the poem:
http://www.bu.edu/quantum/zen/readings/keepingQuietNeruda.html