Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.
— Junichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows
On the mantel above my fireplace sits a representation of Quan Yin, endlessly pouring out the water of compassion upon All That Is. I keep her there where I can always see her, because she embodies my intention and my spiritual practice as a human being and as a writer.
Like the figure of Quan Yin, these words by Junichiro Tanizaki encourage me to pour out my compassion upon what my culture tends to regard as the “dark” parts of existence. Rather than rejecting the harsh realities of suffering, violence, injustice, dying and death, imperfection, the unknown, the strange – can I face up to them? Be curious about them? Sit down with them, build acquaintance with them, and try to respond appropriately to them?
Such shadows are undeniable parts of this luminous world. Of my life. Of whatever this bag of bones is that I call my “self.” By embracing the shadows, I more fully experience what it means to be alive and present – here and now. This in turn strengthens my empathy.
The energy of empathy is the bridge that most fundamentally joins my awareness to All That Is. It’s what I most want to help build through my work, my relationships, and my manner of being in the world.
“Were it not for shadows,” Tanizaki says, “there would be no beauty.” Including, I’d say, the beauty of empathy.
Phyllis Cole-Dai
I began pecking away on an old manual typewriter in childhood and never stopped. A multi-genre author/editor, I “write across what divides us.” My most recent title is The Singing Stick, a novel. My scientist-husband and I currently live in Brookings, SD, but will relocate to Catonsville, MD, in 2025. I invite you to hop aboard The Raft, my online community, where we ride the river of life buoyed by the arts and open spirituality.
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