Saturday, March 31, 2012

Water Ways


When water seeks low places,
it becomes humble.

When water wears away stone,
it becomes strong.

When water is routed at will,
it becomes weak.

When water floods a city,
it becomes dangerous.

When water ends a drought,
it becomes a blessing.

When water flows over my hands,
it finally becomes real.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Sick


Who is in greater need of healing?
Those who are too poor to afford a doctor?
Or those who can relieve suffering and don't?

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Paint a Wall


Paint a wall brown.
Paint a wall blue.
The wall remains
just as strong.

Plant a flower.
Plant a weed.
The soil remains
just as fertile.

Build a bridge.
Build a fence.
The link remains
just as whole.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Vines


Nature's silent transformers.

Left to find their own paths,
they climb over billboards,
cover barns in green shade,
smother every tree underneath,
feed on both the living and the dead,
and prepare the land for the next thing.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Four Trees


Spring trees for flowers.
Summer trees for shade.
Fall trees for color.
Winter trees for light.

The first bring beauty.
The second bring comfort.
The third bring change.
The fourth bring heat.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

No Room


The only knowing
that is true knowing
is the knowing that
leaves no room for doubt.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Friday, March 23, 2012

Finding More


A probing mind finds
more than it expects.

A piercing mind finds
more than it wants.

A curious mind finds
more than it imagines.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Which Will Outlast?


Rocks under the surface
of a shallow stream.

Hard against soft, and yet
which will outlast the other?

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tao to Tao


From seed to sprout.
From sprout to blade.
From blade to field.
From field to fall.
From fall to frost.
From frost to silence.
From silence to seed.

What grows dies.
What dies returns.
What returns renews.

From Tao to Tao.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Penciled In


I can mark seasons on a calendar,
but the wind has a mind of its own.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Ringing a Bell


When you ring a bell,
have something worthy to say.

Otherwise, don't ring the bell.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Reality Gifts


The first gift is to realize
you do not know.

The second gift is to realize
you cannot know.

The third gift is to realize
you don't need to know.

The fourth gift is to realize
you already know anyway.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Three Secrets


Three secrets.

First is the name of God.
Second is the face of God.
Third is the voice of God.

The first does not exist.
The second is the ten thousand things.
The third is the source of all truth --

but only inside your own head.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Root or Stem


Root or stem.
Take away
earth and sky,
and I won't know
what I'm seeing.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Ever Empty? Ever Still?


Is the sky ever empty?
Is the ocean ever still?

Why should I expect
my mind to be any different?

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Simple Life


Do not mistake a simple life for a poor one.
Do not mistake a rich life for an easy one.
Do not mistake a small life for a barren one.
Do not mistake a safe life for a painless one.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

What We Don't See


When the people around us
become nothing but background,
we've become blind to ourselves.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Candle Is Enough


Even if a candle is the only light you have,
darkness will still run away from it.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Results Free


When I lay down my tools,
The results of my work
are no longer mine.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Interesting


Pay attention to what interests you.
Look at what captures your mind.

One tells you about your outer world.
The other tells you about your inner one.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Only This


Clocks and calendars can never
bring us back to this time.

The curve of space can never
bring us back to this spot.

Beyond the clock, beyond the curve,
there is only this moment, this place.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Woven Together


Beyond the fabric of our own skin,
we are woven together like cloth.

Beyond the vines of our own blood,
we are tangled like nests of birds.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Trick of the Eye


A waxing moon.
A waning moon.

One grows.
The other shrinks.

Another illusion
of light and shadow.

Monday, March 5, 2012

My Fragile Ego


My ego is such
a delicate thing.

The larger it grows,
the more fragile it becomes.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Good News


Nothing is permanent.

If I wake up in a cruel mood,
it isn't permanent.

If I wake up in a giving mood,
it isn't permanent.

If I wake up in a funny mood,
it isn't permanent.

If I wake up in a dark mood,
it isn't permanent.

If I don't wake up at all,
this, too, will be good news.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Burdens


When we help those
who cannot help themselves,
we make the world lighter.

When we fail to do
what is in our hands to do,
we add to our own load.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Power Move


True power comes from within.

It's not about controlling others.
It's about controlling ourselves.

This is why true power is rare.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Growing Older


Our lives are long
strings of constant change.

This is why every
face we see is new
every time we see it.

Even in the mirror.

What a gift.
What a sorrow.