🕊️ Only A Little While Here

June 23, 2025

TWO-MINUTE MONK
Ancient wisdom for modern life, every Monday.

🧘 Monk Thought

“I, Nezahualcóyotl, ask this:
Do we truly live on earth?
Not forever on earth—only a little while here.”

— Nezahualcóyotl (c. 1402–1472)

💡 Monk Light

This is not a lament. It’s a truth — a quiet one.

Fifteenth-century Mexico had kings, pyramids, priests…and poets who whispered into the wind:

We are only here a moment.

Nezahualcóyotl wasn’t asking us to despair.

He was asking us to notice:

  • Are we awake to the smallness of our time here?

  • Are we living, or just passing?

When we realise we are here only a little while, we stop chasing permanence.

We stop clinging.

We become present.

Nezahualcóyotl (c. 1402–1472) was a philosopher-king, poet and ruler of Texcoco in central Mexico. He was renowned for his spiritual poetry and reflections on life’s brevity, the divine and the illusion of permanence. His name means “Hungry Coyote.”

👣 Monk Move

Today, pause before you leave a room, end a conversation, or close your eyes.

Say quietly:

“Only a little while here.”

Then be where you are.

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You can find all the previous posts by the Two-Minute Monk in the Vault. The weekly post from the Monk will always be free but at some point in the future, I will create a small subscription of no more than £2 per month to access the Vault to see previous posts and get extra material. For now, though, the Vault remains open and free. Enjoy!