Surveillance

We are children
watching children.

A healthy land
doesn't have to spy
on its own people.

Two Sides

What faces east faces sunrise.
What faces west faces sunset.

Two sides of the same house.
Two sides of the same day.

What faces outward faces us.
What faces inward faces Tao.

Two sides of the same face.
Two sides of the same One.

Less

Gratitude is within
everyone's grasp.

An ungrateful life
will always feel less.

Darker Poverty

Disdain for the undeserving poor
is the hallmark of those
who suffer a darker poverty.

Even in Us

Grass thrives even in cities.
Art thrives even in towns.
God thrives even in churches.
Tao thrives even in us.

Closed Views

No two views are the same --
unless they're both closed.

Big Enough

To transcend
the limits of thought
is to give up language
and numbers.

Inner and outer worlds
intersect here.
It is a vast space.
Big enough for everyone.

Ascent

Some
descending
staircases

take us
to higher
floors.

Knock.

Knock,
and the door will open.

All doors are open
along your inner path.

Walk on through.
Take what you need.

There will always
be more.

No need to be afraid.

Making Better Lives

If he works for us
in some distant place
to make things
or grow things
or tend things
that make our lives
better,
why is it so hard
for us to pay him
a living wage?

No Dwelling Place

No home endures.
No settlement is permanent.
No city stands without end.

That which lasts forever
needs no dwelling place.

Bliss

Bliss is all
around us.

But you have
to look for it.

Hard Heart

Like Tao,
the waters of time
break down even
the hardest stone.

Water's Edge

The water's edge
is a boundary
between what is above
and what is below.

Silence is a boundary, too,
between what is clear
and what is still unknown.

Shining Face of Tao

Emptiness is never empty.
Fullness is never full.

When I go looking for Tao,
I see nothing new.

When I stop looking,
Tao shines from every face.

More than Open

Generosity is more
than an open hand.

Sincerity is more
than an open mind.

Compassion is more
than an open heart.

Garden Spot

Rough, hard places
offer fertile ground
for beauty and grace
to take root and grow.

Six Dreams

Dreams of the future.
Dreams of escape.
Dreams of what we do not know.
Dreams of our fears.
Dreams of freedom from fear.
Dreams of waking up.

Leading the Way

The best leader
seeks the Way,
and when she finds it,
she follows it for herself.

Following the Way
is the best way
to lead the way.

Sight Lessons

Jesus didn't come
to save sinners from hell.

He came to teach
the spiritually blind
that God is within us all.

It is our own fear
of the hells we create
that keeps us in darkness.

Streaked

We are all
streaked with Tao.

Nameless

When I name myself,
I make myself small.

It is my nameless self
that contains worlds.

Gulf

One does not have
to stop the river
to build a bridge.

Summit

Mountaintop
experiences
do not require
a mountain.

One does not
have to be asleep
to wake up.

One Voice

It only takes
one voice
to bring down
power and injustice --
if enough voices
echo its call.

Touching the Heart

If nothing touches your heart,
how do you know you have one?

If everything touches your heart,
how do you know it's yours?

Five Escapes

The escape from childhood
leads into independence.

The escape from independence
leads into distractions.

The escape from distractions
leads into inner silence.

The escape from inner silence
leads into awareness of Tao.

There is no escape from Tao,
only escape from awareness.

Fish

Fish in the ocean of wisdom,
and whatever you catch
will satisfy your hunger.

Fish in the ocean of doubt,
and whatever you catch
will slowly poison your mind.

Every Leaf

We discover the universe
every time we remember
every leaf is different.

Two Sides the Same

If every boundary
is an illusion,
then every bridge
is an illusion, too.

We are one.
We are not one.

Two sides
of the same line.