If one lives in peace, a day can be like a year.
Trying to sleep, I toss and turn on the worn out mat,
And pace around and around
In my tattered monk's shawl.
The Master suggests I make my bed
Among the wind and bamboo,
And have a drink beside the waters of the rocky spring.
A nod of the head, and all worldly affairs seem wrong.
Laughing at myself,
I understand the wisdom of the Master.
- Su Shih 1073 courtesy of dailyzen.com

Giving advice in psychotherapy is a risky endeavor. I frustrate many of my clients when I decline their requests for advice. A suggestion to make a bed among the wind and bamboo is to allow one to find their own answers. I work hard to ask questions that encourage self reflection and curiosity. We all seek a life in peace; in the spirit of the bodhisattva we seek peace for all sentient beings. We engage in life as a student and a master. My work is to allow my clients to recognize the master within; drink beside the waters of a rocky stream; and realize the opportunities for a life in peace.