The elderly sage, Lo Zu, was walking with his meandering-cane along a path going through a meadow near town. Youthful twins were walking toward Lo Zu, from the opposite direction. As they approached Lo Zu — and knowing about his reputation for being wise and insightful — they asked him to stop and listen to their remarks about their recent attempts at meditating in stillness. They told Lo Zu about how they both sat, unmoving, for hours, in their recent attempts to (according to them) meditate properly.
As they talked on and on about the stillness that they tried to engage in, Lo Zu did not appear to be very impressed. Lo Zu looked at the flowers and creatures in the meadow and remarked that true stillness is not the result of “trying” and “effort.” He suggested that one of the twins should walk some distance down the path (then return), while the other twin should remain standing with him. One of the twins then walked along the path and returned after a short while. Then Lo Zu asked the twin who had remained with him, “While your brother was walking away, did the field of consciousness (that you were) ever actually move away from what it was all along?” “No, of course not,” the lad replied. Then Lo Zu asked the twin, who had been walking away, whether his field of consciousness had actually moved — from what it was all along — during his walk. “Of course not,” the lad replied. Then Lo Zu said to the twin that had been walking, “Your consciousness did not move from what (and where) it always was, and neither did your brother’s. So even though you were walking, the mind was not going anywhere other than where it was all along.” Lo Zu was implying that movement is often delusory and not factual.
Lo Zu suggested to them, “Please don’t try, with effort, to be still (through various techniques, for instance). Such techniques likely take you on a delusional journey (that is secondhand). Let true stillness occur naturally, without effort. Also, stillness can exist even while walking, even while working. True stillness is not what one makes happen through effort and striving, or through traveling through (and “as”) linear thought/thinking. Additionally, a physical body that is not physically moving is not any special kind of stillness. Rather, natural (true) stillness of mind may occur not by calculated effort but during effortless awareness.”
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
I love seeing your friend in a picture! Tell me more please! – You know I had a day like that yesterday – an ordinary day – watching leaves fall, leaning into November, writing a poem, being with my dogs and bird, loving the slant of the sun – an unexpected gift after a busy morning – Peace from within – oh.
Tweetie Pie is a Yellow Nape Amazon Parrot. She is very intelligent. She’ll ask questions that she alone had thought up. When i take her out every day to exercise-fly, she usually says “How are you?” to me. If i ask her how she is doing, she usually says, “Pretty good,” or “Better,” or “I don’t know.”
Here’s a video short of an African Grey, named Apollo, who can talk very well:
Interesting Lo Zu post Tom and I like the vivid colors in “Spooky Time is Here”.
Thank you about the Lo Zu story, Linda. Yes, Tweetie Pie has beautiful colors. And my Catalina Macaw has a very stunning array of beautiful colors.
You’re welcome Tom – it is nice to finally meet Tweetie Pie after hearing about her. She is beautiful and I’m sure your Catalina Macaw is as well. I just did a Google image to see one. Many years ago, the local pet shop near me had two Macaws – different colors, blue predominantly and the other was green or red. It’s been many decades. All the kids would stop in after school and talk to them. 🙂 They were not caged, but each had a tether to its perch. They had two huge German Shepherds, Thunder and Lightning … massive heads on those dogs and they stayed there overnight … believe me, no one would mess with them.
That’s interesting, Linda, about that pet shop with the two macaws and the two guard dogs! A pet shop in my area was once robbed of their parrots. And i used to know Mickey Hensel, who also (like me) bred parrots. Once she had a buyer come over to buy a bird at Mickey’s home, but had suspicious feelings about her (i.e., about the female buyer). So Mickey had a cop friend there on the day of the transaction. Well, the woman buyer pulled out a gun and told Mickey to start boxing up parrots (for the woman to steal). Mickey’s police friend then popped out from behind some curtains. The theif pointed her gun at the female officer, and the police woman shot her dead. Mickey told me that blood was everywhere. How sad! It’s a good thing that that pet shop had two big guard dogs!
Wow – what a story Tom. That’s terrible. The owners were very nice, Frank and Jeanie, a married couple and years later when I worked at the diner, it was across the street and they often came in for meals. I would tell them how much all the kids enjoyed those birds and the dogs. They left the birds there all the time as they were open seven days a week. They retired and sold the pet shop – I didn’t care for the new owners, so I just ended up going to PetSmart or Petco for supplies/food.
Love the photo!!!🎃
Thank you! I’ll have to post a pic of the Catalina Macaw also, one of these days. 🦜