Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being.
*Albert Camus
The most sophisticated people I know ~ inside they are all children.
*Jim Henson
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A Catholic sister came to a profound experience that brought her to tears during a Zen retreat. The words that arose from the depth of her being, accompanied by many tears, were "I am innocent." "She was indeed gifted with a glimpse of her 'original nature,' as she was able to experience this realm of the 'holy and blameless' in her practice of silent sitting.
*Ruben L. F. Habito. Living Zen, Loving God.
I sat in my chair, disturbed by my failure, my still struggling to be healed of brokenness, feeling guilt. I saw failure, again. The sight flowed through my mind like a dirty piece of debris that keeps returning to travel the same stream. I thought, "Here I am, again, feeling this failure." Suddenly, everything changed, for I was introduced to ~ I did not conjure it up ~ the reality that I was innocently broken like so many, but not sinful, in the sense that I had been taught. Right away, for possibly the first time in my life ~ and just recalling this brings bliss and thankfulness ~, I rejoiced at Grace showing me my true nature: innocence. What a relief, and my heart filled with gladness and gratitude. I saw myself as I had never before seen myself. What a gift! What Grace!
*Arem Nahariim-Samadhi
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The Love of others, sometimes just one other, awakens someone to see the innocence within that he or she had never seen. There are, finally, no differences in such Grace, whether from the seen or unseen, the other or Other. All Love is Grace, All Grace is Love. Love sees us as we always already Are.
We cannot become innocent Our every movement is already the Song of Innocence
