Looking for Salvation

Salvation is built in.
No need to go looking for it.

Crowded Universe

White cup of hot tea
sitting on the arm of a chair.

Yellow wooden pencils
lying on a blond wooden table.

Hand-picked holy books
leaning against a brass bookend.

Buttered lamplight
splattered across a pale wall.

The universe makes a place for us
and then crowds around.

This Road. That Road.

This road goes through a city.
That road goes through a town.

This road goes across farmland.
That road goes over a mountain.

This road goes on forever.
That road goes to the end and stops.

No One Way

Every leaf has its own stem.
Every stream has its own bed.
Every mountain has its own peak.
Every morning has its own night.
Every finger has its own print.
Every tree has its own shape.
Every life has its own light.

What Misery Brings

Misery may lead to insight,
but not all insight follows misery.

The Cloth of Existence

Language is the clothing of thought.
Thought is the clothing of consciousness.
Consciousness is the clothing of awareness.
Awareness is the clothing of existence.
But existence is so much more than cloth.

Cellular Meditation

The air we breathe
eventually makes its way
to every living cell within us.

No wonder meditation
is so fulfilling.

Under Water

Below the surface,
the ocean gets darker
the deeper you go.

Water Work

Swim in a lake.
Float down a river.
Dive in an ocean.

One tests the body.
One provokes the mind.
One challenges the soul.

Hard of Hearing

When I'm silent in nature,
it's to listen to the birds.

When I'm silent in church,
it's to listen to the music.

When I'm silent inside,
it's to listen to the heart.

Not because Tao is so quiet,
but because I can be so deaf.

Tao Math

The distance from the tip
of one slender branch
to the tip of the next
is never more than twice
the distance from one side
of the universe to the other.

But this, too, is an illusion.

Water, Water

Waters above the earth.
Waters between the earth.
Waters below the earth.

Separate.

But when are storms
not raging at the bottom
of every ocean.

When are oceans
not contained within
every drop of rain?

Communal?

We are a communal species,
but not communal enough
to keep from forgetting this.

Resolution

How much does it matter
what we resolve?

All the difference in the world.
And nothing at all.

Gone

Stormy rains dissolve in the ocean.
Raging fires die away among ashes.
Fallen leaves sink into muddy ground.
Healed pains cannot be remembered.

Moment by Moment

All of the things we do
that we wish we didn't.

All of the things we don't
get around to that we wish we did.

These haunt both
our future and our past.

How easy it is to forget that
our escape is here in this moment.

Win Loss

What is a true win?
What is really a true defeat?

Does every winner
create a loser?

Does every loser
create a loss?

Victory or defeat,
neither lasts forever.

From Dust to Dust

Even rocks crack under pressure.
This is how they become the dust
for another beating heart.

Say Thank You

Say thank you
and the sky fills with rain.

Say thank you
and weeds take over the garden.

Say thank you
and the night seems even darker.

Say thank you
and nothing will ever be the same.

Planting for Harvest

Plant seeds for a season.
Plant flowers for a year.
Plant saplings for a century.
Plant wisdom for all time.

The Sun Inside

The sun that gives
light and heat to the world
and keeps us each alive
is a terribly destructive place.

Distance moderates this for us.

How much greater is the Tao
of the ten thousand things.
No wonder we're afraid to believe
it's as close as it really is.

No Confusion

Do not mistake rags for poverty.
Do not mistake money for wealth.
Do not mistake power for security.
Do not mistake property for success.

Pacing

Do not be slow to adapt.
Do not be eager to change.

Four Stones

One stone marks the center of town.
One stone marks the farthest boundary.
One stone marks the pillow of dreams.
One stone marks the end of a journey home.

Singing Lesson

Teach me again
how to be the bird
singing on the branch
outside my window.

Sunny Day

Every sunny day hides a star-filled sky.

Laughing Tao

Life is rich.

Tao laughs,
and we wonder why.

Brothers

Walking down the sidewalk,
I catch my toe on a crack and stumble.

I blame myself for not looking.
I feel embarrassed and hope nobody noticed.

Down the street, I see another man walking.
Just as I catch sight of him, he stumbles, too.

Two brothers under the skin.

The Point

The point is not
how much I have.

The point is not
how much I get.

The point is not
how much I keep.

The point is
how much I offer.