Christian Taoism

Universal

2012-01-28T13:22:00.002-06:00

When a baby is born,
the universe begins again.

When a person dies,
another universe comes to an end.

Sacred Seven

2012-01-27T13:19:00.001-06:00

Sacred mountain.
Sacred valley.
Sacred river.
Sacred hill.
Sacred wood.
Sacred desert.
Sacred mystery.

What offers challenge?
What offers bread?
What offers passage?
What offers sight?
What offers refuge?
What offers emptiness?
What offers silence?

A Voice Crying

2012-01-26T13:21:00.001-06:00

A voice crying in the wilderness
can be heard all the way in the city.

A voice crying in the valley of shadows
can be heard all the way to sunny peaks.

A voice crying in the darkness
can be heard all the way to heaven.

Hand. Foot. Face.

2012-01-25T13:21:00.002-06:00

Hand.
Foot.
Face.

What is my first tool?
What is my first freedom?
What is my first lesson?

Flags

2012-01-24T13:21:00.002-06:00

Flag of peace.
Flag of war.
Flag of truce.

A colored bit of cloth
pointing in a breeze
is not the thing itself,
but rather a reminder
of those who raise it.

Even

2012-01-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

Even hardness can be bent.
Even softness can be firm.
Even silence can be heard.
Even darkness can be seen.
Even peace can be fought.
Even bitterness can be sweet.
Even misery can be kind.

Distances

2012-01-22T13:13:00.001-06:00

Distance is always a matter of perspective.

Dark Guide

2012-01-21T13:10:00.001-06:00

Depression is a guide
into darkness.

Everything it tells you
takes you deeper in.

Tao is there, too,
in that deepest dark.

A light for those
willing to look.

Discovering What Matters

2012-01-20T13:10:00.001-06:00

Iron rusts.
Silver tarnishes.
Gold dulls.

Nothing stays
as it was.

Another way
we discover
what matters.

Selfish Generosity

2012-01-19T13:10:00.002-06:00

True generosity
expects nothing in return.

Otherwise,
selfishness hides
beneath every selfless act.

When Two Become One

2012-01-18T13:08:00.001-06:00

When two become one,
the universe expands for both.

When two become one,
each path grows wider.

When two become one,
what is unknown becomes clearer.

Better Left

2012-01-17T13:08:00.001-06:00

Some tools are
better left unused.

Some tasks are
better left undone.

Some words are
better left unsaid.

Some paths are
better left untrod.

Seed Bed

2012-01-16T13:08:00.001-06:00

Some seeds
come alive
only in soil.

Some seeds
come alive
only in minds.

Some seeds
come alive
only in hearts.

Mustard
for the ground.

Wisdom
for the mind.

Compassion
for the heart.

When I Consider

2012-01-15T13:06:00.002-06:00

When I consider
the surfaces of life,
anxiety muddies every stream.

When I consider
the source of life,
worry dissipates like a fog.

To Be Abandoned?

2012-01-14T18:06:00.002-06:00

To be abandoned
by parents is frightening.

To be abandoned
by friends is painful.

To be abandoned
by reason is unnerving.

To be abandoned
by Tao is impossible.

The Wheel of Change

2012-01-13T13:04:00.001-06:00

What is easy today
will be difficult tomorrow.

What is a mystery this morning
will be clear as glass tonight.

What looks wise now
will seem foolish all too soon.

What looks worthless in this moment
will burst into light when you least expect it.

Seeking Results

2012-01-12T13:04:00.004-06:00

When I work, I work for results.
When I play, I play for results.
When I eat, I eat for results.
When I sleep, I sleep for results.

When I let go of what I want
and leave the outcome to Tao,
I am never disappointed.

What I Give

2012-01-11T13:03:00.001-06:00

What I give from my pocket
comes from my hands.

What I give from my heart
comes from my spirit.

What I give from my self
comes from the Tao.

Tao in Light. Tao in Darkness.

2012-01-10T13:03:00.001-06:00

Tao in light.
Tao in darkness.

Both different.
Both the same.

One feeds the eyes.
The other feeds the soul.

Hurt Never Lasts

2012-01-09T12:28:00.001-06:00

Rain leaves pools in the street
that reflect a sky free of clouds.

A painful day leaves an emptiness
that reflects what can never last.

Light Show

2012-01-08T10:20:00.001-06:00

At the center
of every one of us
is a pinhole of light
smaller than an atom
and brighter than the sun.

We don't see it, though,
because we don't believe it's there --
not in ourselves and not in others.

But it is.

Clear and bright and
waiting patiently for us
to look.

New Life

2012-01-07T13:02:00.002-06:00

We die so we can come back.
We die so we can start over.

Not a death of the body with
funereal rites and memorials.

We die to who we are
and no longer want to be.

We die under the weight
of our failures and fears.

We die through the wishes
of who we long to become.

These are the deaths we celebrate,
and then look forward to a new life.

Who Am I?

2012-01-06T12:30:00.002-06:00

Am I who
I think I am?

Or am I
who I am?

Faith only knows.

Empty Plate

2012-01-05T12:20:00.001-06:00

If my plate is empty,
so will my stomach be.

If my hands are empty,
so will my work be.

If my mind is empty,
so will my house be.

If my heart is empty,
so will my life be.

Reflections

2012-01-04T12:30:00.001-06:00

What I see in the mirror
is a reflection of surfaces.

What I see in your face
is a reflection of my prejudices.

What I see in my heart
is a reflection of my ignorance.

Flowers Among Misery

2012-01-03T12:30:00.001-06:00

What does misery
have to do with flowers?

What does serenity
have to do with weeds?

Tao is the flower
that grows out of misery.

Tao is the serenity
that nourishes every weed.

Cold

2012-01-02T12:28:00.001-06:00

Cold weather chills the body.
Cold thoughts chill the mind.
Cold relations chill the heart.
Cold religions chill the soul.

Perfection Before Grace?

2012-01-01T12:13:00.001-06:00

Does God have to be perfect
to fill our lives with grace?

Simple Questions, Simple Answers

2011-12-31T12:18:00.002-06:00

Simple questions lead
to complicated answers.

Simple answers lead
to complicated solutions.

Confusion and Clarity

2011-12-30T12:22:00.002-06:00

Confusion makes clarity possible.

How Much Did We Own?

2011-12-29T12:17:00.003-06:00

When a close one dies,
those of us left behind
may feel we have lost them.

But how much of them
did we own to begin with?

The real loss occurs
as our memories fade
and we forget even
the sound of their voice.

Hard to Learn

2011-12-28T12:14:00.001-06:00

Hard lessons are painful to learn,
but what comes hard is hard to forget.

Winning?

2011-12-27T09:16:00.001-06:00

Striving to win.
Is that always a good thing?

Pushing hard to advance.
Is that always the best way forward?

Surrendering to the pursuit of success.
Is that how you want to spend your life?

New Vista

2011-12-26T10:17:00.001-06:00

When I am tired and weak
and lost along my spiritual way,
I slow down and watch my feet,
step by step by step.

The path continues before me,
carrying me along.

When I look up again,
the vista always takes my breath away.

Holy, Holy, Holy

2011-12-25T12:16:00.002-06:00

Holiness grows out of the ground of failure
more often than out of the ground of faith.

Sainthood is not something earned
but rather something found in living.

Reverence is bestowed not by godliness
but by rediscovering the awe of children.

Life Everlasting?

2011-12-24T12:14:00.002-06:00

If we last forever
after we die,
is our perspective
forever limited
to the narrow keyhole
of our earthly life?

And if we enter
into a vast room
of all knowing
upon our death,
what happens
to that narrow soul
we were in life?

To give up who I am
to enter into all there is
seems an easy choice.

Intentions and Dreams

2011-12-23T12:19:00.001-06:00

Intentions show me where I am.
Dreams show me who I am.

Between Root and Branch

2011-12-22T12:11:00.001-06:00

Roots seek water.
Branches seek light.

Between heaven and earth,
every tree finds what it needs.

The Burden of Selfishness

2011-12-21T12:18:00.003-06:00

Selfishness is a burden
fear gives us when we forget
we already have what we need.

Small Packages

2011-12-20T12:12:00.001-06:00

Every twig carries forests inside.
Every pebble carries mountains inside.
Every raindrop carries oceans inside.
Every soul carries Tao inside.

The Hardest Danger to Overcome

2011-12-19T12:13:00.001-06:00

When someone hurts us,
it's natural to build a wall.

When we feel threatened,
it's natural to raise our defenses.

When enemies mass on the horizon,
it's natural to stockpile weapons.

But the hardest danger to overcome
is our own fear of suffering.

Three Guests

2011-12-18T12:16:00.004-06:00

First is the guest
you invite into your home.

Second is the guest
you invite into your heart.

Third is the guest
you invite into your pain.

Which?

2011-12-17T12:10:00.002-06:00

Which is older,
an acorn or an oak?

Which is deeper,
an eye or an ocean?

Which is harder,
a child or a parent?

Which is wiser,
a question or an answer?

Blessings and Sorrows

2011-12-16T12:11:00.001-06:00

A hard life is full
of hidden blessings.

An easy life is full
of hidden sorrows.

Satisfying Decision

2011-12-15T12:07:00.001-06:00

Satisfaction is a decision
to live in peace with all
that one cannot control.

The Pain of Not Forgiving

2011-12-14T12:07:00.002-06:00

When a hurt is deep and old,
the wound seems new at every touch.

When apologies are long in coming,
the wait seems a waste of time.

But the deepest and longest injury
is always the pain of not forgiving.

The Only One

2011-12-13T12:05:00.001-06:00

How many trees crowd
the landscapes of the universe?

How many birds fill the air
with their singing on distant planets?

How many women nurse
their infants throughout the galaxy?

How many minds imagine
their earth is the only one?

Strength and Weakness

2011-12-12T11:29:00.001-06:00

Strength is relative.
What is strong in one place
becomes weakness in another.

To embrace both
strength and weakness
is a step toward wholeness.

Acceptance from Acceptance

2011-12-11T12:08:00.001-06:00

When I accept others as they are
and not as I would have them to be,
I set the stage for my own acceptance.

Four Gifts

2011-12-10T12:07:00.001-06:00

The gift of patience
comes with waiting attached.

The gift of mercy
comes with injustice attached.

The gift of compassion
comes with suffering attached.

The gift of wisdom
comes with ignorance attached.

Hard or Easy?

2011-12-09T10:28:00.001-06:00

Hard question or easy answer.
Which is the better path to wisdom?

Painful Gratitude

2011-12-08T12:05:00.002-06:00

When I learn to be grateful
even in the middle of suffering,
I discover there are things
I can only learn through pain.

But it's still hard to be grateful
for the suffering of a loved one.

True Well-Being

2011-12-07T12:01:00.001-06:00

We all have an obligation to seek
the well-being of our individual lives,
but to increase our own well-being
at the expense of others is impossible.

Back to Life

2011-12-06T12:04:00.001-06:00

A return to life
doesn't always require
a death beforehand.

Sometimes, we don't
realize we've died
until we come back.

Battlelines

2011-12-05T11:28:00.001-06:00

When both sides are wrong,
healing must start from within.

Every Green Leaf

2011-12-04T11:27:00.002-06:00

Every green leaf
carries autumn inside.

Every storm cloud
hides a brilliant sky.

Every answer
begs another question.

Every death
makes room for new life.

Overwhelming Fear

2011-12-03T12:01:00.002-06:00

Fear arises from outside.
Love arises from inside

and overwhelms it.

Closing Doors to Forgiveness

2011-12-02T11:27:00.001-06:00

When I apologize,
I open a door.

When I fail to apologize,
the door remains closed.

A closed door doesn't make
forgiveness impossible.

It just keeps it
on the other side.

Perspectives

2011-12-01T10:28:00.001-06:00

Walled in or walled out.
Which brings peace of mind?

Old map or new compass.
Which shows the true way?

Different Roads Home

2011-11-30T19:26:00.001-06:00

Walk one road and
end up at one place.

Walk a different road and
end up at a different place.

And yet, do we not arrive
back home in the end?

Illusion

2011-11-29T10:09:00.001-06:00

What is inside us
and what is outside us
do not seem to be the same.

Another illusion.

Intersections

2011-11-28T11:14:00.002-06:00

Peace and war intersect
at the crossing of difficulty and ease.

Ignorance and wisdom intersect
at the crossing of blindness and sight.

Joy and suffering intersect
at the crossing of heaven and earth.

Seven Gifts

2011-11-27T11:20:00.001-06:00

Amity amid conflict.
Grace amid strife.
Patience amid loss.
Serenity amid chaos.
Insight amid suffering.
Generosity amid poverty.
Compassion amid fear.

Storm

2011-11-26T11:21:00.001-06:00

Lightning splits the sky in two
like a yardstick striking a desk.

Thunder tumbles across the city
like children sent out to play.

Runoff courses through gutters
like rumors across a schoolyard.

Child's play in the hands of the Divine.

Out of Lack

2011-11-25T11:20:00.002-06:00

Gratitude grows out of lack
and flowers in abundance.

Hunger Makes Me Grateful

2011-11-24T11:20:00.001-06:00

Hunger makes me grateful
for the food on my plate.

Thirst makes me grateful
for the drink in my cup.

Illness makes me grateful
for every breath I take.

Loneliness makes me grateful
for every friend I meet.

The Nature of Patience

2011-11-23T11:16:00.001-06:00

Patience is like water.
It flows past frustrations
like a river around stones.

True patience has no end.
It can level a mountain
of pain and disappointment.

It wells up from the spring
that nourishes us all and
keeps us steady in this moment.

You Can Keep Him

2011-11-22T11:17:00.003-06:00

Why would a loving God
bring us into this life
without our permission
and expect us to be perfect,
then cast us into eternal hell
after we die if we fail
to live up to His demands?

Doesn't sound very loving to me.

Saturated

2011-11-21T11:14:00.004-06:00

A branch floats along a river.
Water soaks into the fibers,
and the wood sinks to the bottom.

Does the branch become the river
because it's saturated with water?

Does the water become a branch
because it saturates the wood?

Does Tao stop being Tao
just because it saturates us?

Answers and Questions

2011-11-20T11:15:00.001-06:00

Which matters more?
The answer to a question,
or the question itself?

Which lasts longer?
The satisfaction of an answer,
or the fascination of a question?

Which rings truer?
The clearest answer,
or the simplest question?

Seek and Find

2011-11-19T11:14:00.001-06:00

When I seek, I find.

What I find is not
always what I seek.

What I seek
is not important.

What I find
is not important.

What matters
is the seeking.

Only the New Lasts

2011-11-18T10:13:00.002-06:00

We set a stone to mark
the passing of a loved one
and hope it will last forever.

But even stones
are not permanent.
The old passes away
to make room for the new.

This is the only permanence
the universe offers.

Among Trees

2011-11-17T11:14:00.003-06:00

Be present among trees,
and trees will be present in you.

Be mindful among flowers,
and flowers will be mindful of you.

Be aware of birds singing,
and birds will sing your whole life.

Hidden

2011-11-16T10:13:00.002-06:00

Isolation hides fear.
Fear hides misery.
Misery hides insight.

Resting Tao, Working Tao

2011-11-15T11:13:00.003-06:00

Nothing I do for myself
brings greater comfort
than resting in the Tao.

Nothing I do for others
brings greater pleasure
than working in the Tao.

None

2011-11-14T11:08:00.001-06:00

No mystery
is deeper
than Tao.

No question
is broader
than God.

No doubt
is longer
than Compassion.

The Limit of Imagination

2011-11-13T11:04:00.003-06:00

What is the limit of imagination?
What is the border of thought?
What is the boundary of the unknown?

Only the imagination can imagine
a limit to the imagination.

Only thought can think out
the borders of thought.

Only the unknown can know
the boundaries of the unknown.

Simple Sight

2011-11-12T12:10:00.001-06:00

Seeing is easy
when I remember
to look at what's right
in front of my eyes.

No Opposite

2011-11-11T11:04:00.001-06:00

Light creates darkness.
Sight creates blindness.
Order creates chaos.

Only Tao has no opposite.

Passing Through?

2011-11-10T11:04:00.001-06:00

Passing through
this moment
is not possible.

Only being
in this moment
is possible.

Thinking I am
somewhere else
is an illusion.

Easing the Way for All

2011-11-09T11:04:00.001-06:00

What makes us think
we have to make others change
to our way of thinking
to protect our way of thinking?

Why do we believe
others have to believe
what we believe
to safeguard what we believe?

We each must follow our own path.
Mutual respect eases the journey
for each of us.

The Gift of Distractions

2011-11-08T11:04:00.001-06:00

What a gift
a distraction can be.

A reminder
of the larger world
and my place in it.

And its place in me.

We Are All

2011-11-07T11:04:00.002-06:00

We are all worthy,
but we don't see it.

We are all sacred,
but we don't know it.

We are all divine,
but we don't believe it.

Three Journeys

2011-11-06T10:28:00.001-06:00

Climb a mountain
and see across valleys.

Swim a river
and reach new ground.

Listen in stillness
and hear the Divine.

God Was Once

2011-11-05T14:10:00.004-05:00

God was once a man.
God was once a woman.
God was once a snake.
God was once a storm.
God was once a great fish.
God was once a burning bush.
God was once a sacred thought.
God was once a lover.
God was once a star.
God was once a child.
God was once a mystery.
God was once a god.
God was once a terror.
God was once a killer.
God was once an ocean.
God was once a mountaintop.
God was once a door.
God was once an emptiness.
God was once the way.
God was once you and me.
And continues to be.

A Wave of Being

2011-11-04T11:01:00.001-05:00

A stalk of grass.
Here today,
gone tomorrow.

Its life seems
as brief as a breeze.
And yet the universe
took billions of years
to bring it into being.

The least I can do
is pay attention
to its waving.

World at Work

2011-11-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

Heavy weather drains
the skies of wind and rain.

Quakes strip the earth
of tension and imbalance.

Volcanoes rob mountains
of deep molten pressure.

Silence relieves the mind
of chatter and distraction.

Listening, Watching, Waiting

2011-11-02T10:28:00.002-05:00

Listening for silence
is like listening for God.

Watching for light
is like watching for Grace.

Waiting for wisdom
is like waiting for Tao.

I Am Never

2011-11-01T10:29:00.003-05:00

Asleep or awake,
I am never fully aware.

Warm or cold,
I am never fully at home.

Hungry or filled,
I am never fully satisfied.

Alone or together,
I am never fully known.

Silent or outspoken,
I am never fully heard.

Happy or grieved,
I am never fully lost.

Midnight Mindfulness

2011-10-31T10:26:00.001-05:00

Restless sleep offers its own brand of awareness.

Carvings

2011-10-30T10:23:00.003-05:00

Tao carves the ten thousand things
like a stream carving a block of wood.

Does the block know it's being carved?
Does the stream know it's shaping wood?

They work as one to make something new,
knowing only that the carving is what matters.

Zero Sum

2011-10-29T10:26:00.002-05:00

Money is a zero-sum game.
The more I hoard what I have,
the more it eats away my soul.

Community Standards

2011-10-28T13:28:00.003-05:00

Something wise heard inside one house
can sound stupid inside another house.

The teachings of one tribe can ring false
in the schools of a different tribe.

A beautiful painting in one gallery
can turn ugly on the wall of another one.

Each community sets its own standards,
but success needs balanced input from all.

Not Here

2011-10-27T14:22:00.003-05:00

I am here, and I am not here.
I exist in this familiar human form,
but what am I?

According to the current theories,
I am mostly empty space.
I am quivering strings of energy.
I am the sum of countless strands
of potential converted into existence.

But how does that explain
this awareness I have
of my own hands,
this taste of saliva in my mouth?

How does this vibrating horde
cavort into me?

Examination

2011-10-26T10:23:00.003-05:00

What is wise?
What is strong?
What is clear?
What is full of trust?

A silent breeze.
A spider's thread.
A starlit night.
A singing sparrow.

Sequences

2011-10-25T10:21:00.001-05:00

Sequence matters to us
in the universe of time and space
because it gives us the context we need
to understand our surroundings
and what is happening to us.

But how do we know
the future doesn't create the past
to bring itself into being?

How do we know
this present moment
where we live our lives
isn't creating the past and future
it needs to exist?

How do we know
cause and effect
aren't illusions we create
to limit our fears of the unknown?

Time Spent

2011-10-24T10:15:00.001-05:00

Time spend waiting for an answer
is time spent in frustration.

Time spent in the future or past
is time spent in worry or pain.

Time spent in the present moment
is time spent in patience and awe.

Always and Ever Tao

2011-10-23T10:21:00.003-05:00

Tao flows where it wills,
appears when it wants,
creates whatever it chooses.

It leaves nothing untouched,
hides nothing from view,
takes nothing for its work.

Wisdom Is Light

2011-10-22T09:24:00.002-05:00

Wisdom is light.
Silence is its home.

The doors are always open,
questions always answered.

Listening, rather than asking,
is the best way to know this.

To Know or Not to Know

2011-10-21T10:13:00.002-05:00

Our need for permanence
grows from our hunger
for predictability.
We want to know
what to expect.

But when our lives
become too predictable,
our expectations grow
spoiled and stale,
and we crave novelty
like a strange diet.