Still Waters

Still waters are never still.

Drawing Lines

I can draw a line to divide us,
or I can draw a line to connect us.

Which line I decide to draw
depends as much on how I see
as it does on what I see.

Work and Play

Work is confession.
Play is salvation.

Our Share

We are like trees growing
into the same air space.

We all want our share
of the light.

Sacred Seven

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

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.

Hand.
Foot.
Face.

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

Flags

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

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

Distance is always a matter of perspective.

Dark Guide

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

Iron rusts.
Silver tarnishes.
Gold dulls.

Nothing stays
as it was.

Another way
we discover
what matters.

Selfish Generosity

True generosity
expects nothing in return.

Otherwise,
selfishness hides
beneath every selfless act.

When Two Become One

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.

Tao in light.
Tao in darkness.

Both different.
Both the same.

One feeds the eyes.
The other feeds the soul.

Hurt Never Lasts

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

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

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?

Am I who
I think I am?

Or am I
who I am?

Faith only knows.

Empty Plate

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

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

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

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

Perfection Before Grace?

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