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.

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?

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.

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.

Calming Stress

A calm mind erases stressful work.

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.

No Room

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

Windows and Walls

Two windows.
Two views.
Two walls.

One to keep in.
One to hold out.

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.

Which Will Outlast?

Rocks under the surface
of a shallow stream.

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

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.

Penciled In

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

Ringing a Bell

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

Otherwise, don't ring the bell.

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.

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.

Root or Stem

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

Ever Empty? Ever Still?

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

Why should I expect
my mind to be any different?

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.

Carved by Time

We are all carved by time,
no matter how solid we began.

What We Don't See

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

A Candle Is Enough

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

Results Free

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

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.

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.

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.

Trick of the Eye

A waxing moon.
A waning moon.

One grows.
The other shrinks.

Another illusion
of light and shadow.

My Fragile Ego

My ego is such
a delicate thing.

The larger it grows,
the more fragile it becomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.