How to make friends with a bird

A long time ago, my teacher gave a talk on how to make friends with a bird. It was a very beautiful talk. The essence of it was, you need to be quiet, and still, and be very very patient. If you sit and wait for the bird to approach you, then eventually you may find you have a new friend.

It’s an obvious metaphor for surrender, and for empathy, and for doing things on Nature’s timeline. Letting go of the fixation on a goal. Stopping the attempt of controlling the outcome.

It’s possible the bird will never want to be friends.

But you’ll still benefit from trying.

All that time being quiet, and watching, and waiting for this bird will let you observe it. You’ll come to know it, even if it does not ever come close. You’ll take on a few of the qualities of bird-ness that are so beautiful. You’ll absorb them.

Being friends with a bird is not about forcing the bird to be friends with you. It’s about being what a bird would want in a friend: Making yourself available. Non-threatening. Passive. Neutral. Inviting.

In many ways, the opposite of the common state of humanity today.

You need to be on the bird’s terms. The bird gets to call the shots and determine what relationship it wants to have with you.

The parallels to your approach to Eternity are innumerable.

If you want to know Stillness, then stop and wait for Stillness to be noticeable. (Hint: It’s *always* here; it’s your busyness that prevents you from experiencing it.)

If you want to know Beauty, then be Beauty.

Such things cannot be forced. They cannot be dictated by the human mind.

In meditation, showing up every day and being committed to your practice, spending time on the mat and being still, noticing, noticing…. These are the things that create an environment where meditation can arise. It’s not going to happen on your terms. It will happen when Nature is good and ready.