Writing Beyond Words

When I was a senior in high school, my English teacher said to me, “Whatever you do in your adult life, it should include writing. You should be a writer.” It took me another twenty years to take his advice seriously, and only now do I think of myself as any kind of writer. Although I seem compelled to set down some words on a page, I know the syllables cannot really convey anything important. I guess it has simply become a habit, and I only hope the act of repetition has improved my skill. 

When it comes to the Dharma, Lama Rinchen always said the the real teachings are “free from the game of words.” So maybe I have to be satisfied with expressing some limited ideas with sincerity. If the words elicit attention somewhere, I pray they will point to the inexpressible. I cannot do more than that. Perhaps someone will be inspired to follow the path beyond words.

The poet, Dana Gioia, gave voice to this paradox when she wrote in her piece entitled, Words:

The world does not need words. It articulates itself
in sunlight, leaves, and shadows. The stones on the path
are no less real for lying uncatalogued and uncounted.
The fluent leaves speak only the dialect of pure being.
The kiss is still truly itself though no words were spoken…