Herons...

"Heron stand in the blue estuary,
Solitary, white, unmoving for hours.
A fish! Quick avian darting;
They prey captured.

The secret of its serenity is a type of vigilance, a contemplative state. The heron is not in mere dumbness or sleep. It knows a lucid stillness. It stands unmoving in the flow of the water. It gazes unperturbed and is aware. When Tao brings it something that it needs, it seizes the opportunity without hesitation or deliberation. Then it goes back to its quiescence without disturbing itself or its surroundings. Unless it found the right position in the water's flow and remained patient, it would not have succeeded."

~365 Tao Daily Meditations Deng Ming-Dao


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