A piece of wisdom from
October 29, 2022 · Saturday
The quote
“The thief left it behind — the moon at the window.”
— Ryokan · Wabi-Sabi
The concept
Sisu
The Finnish word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone.
Two hundred days of darkness a year. Forty below in winter. Russia next door. The Finns had to invent a word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone, and they named it sisu. Sisu is not grit. Not resilience. Not courage.…
A practice for today
When the next difficult feeling arrives, ask yourself: the lesson of Sisu. The Finnish word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone.
From the Bhagavad Gita
Verse 16.21
त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः। कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत्॥
“Three are the gates of this hell, destructive of the self — lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, abandon these three.”
A small piece of wisdom in your inbox each morning
One quote, one concept, one practice, same as this page, delivered before your day starts. Free, no spam, one-click unsubscribe.