Proof?

Proof?
What is that?

Proof remains
rooted in perception.

Perception remains
rooted in faith.

Faith remains
rooted in experience.

Experience remains
the best proof we have.

Was I Even Here?

When I die,
the earth will take me
back into itself.

I'll pass from memory
and become nothing
but a name on a stone.

In a blink of the universe,
that too will melt away.

Was I even here at all?

The only way to know
is to be present now.

What Words Can't Know

Words tell us what we see.
Language keeps us
grounded in the world.

But every label is a limit.
Every name is a boundary.
Every description is a box.

None of these will get us closer
to knowing who we really are.

National Defense

Weapons will not save us.
Every kill puts a hole
in the fabric of life.

Armies will not preserve us.
Every victory in battle
comes at a higher cost.

Power will not secure us.
Every bended knee
recruits another adversary.

The best defense is compassion.
The best fortress is tolerance. 
The best protection is community.

Key

The only prison that
can truly hold me captive
is the prison of my own mind.

Silence is the key that
unlocks the door.

Questions of God

Silence doesn't prove absence.
Responses don't prove truth.

When I ask questions of God,
the answers I get will depend
on what I'm willing to believe.

Starting Line

The horizon is
not a boundary.

It's a starting line
with no finish.

Twins

At times,
the resemblance is so close,
no one can tell us apart.

Not even us.

At others,
it's as if we can't see
any connection at all.

But we are all
twins in Tao.

Security

Security is about the future,
not this present moment.

Only when I'm centered in Tao
do I experience true security.

I can only be centered in Tao
now.

Veil of Doubt

What does it matter if Tao
sweeps away the veil of doubt
that keeps me from seeing God
if I'm too scared to look anyway?

Not Ready

It's time for us to be tired of conflict.
It's time for us to be weary of fighting.
It's time for us to be shed of violence.

But apparently we're not ready.
If we were, we'd be looking
for somewhere to sit down and talk.

Dark Waters

The ocean is deep and dark,
even if the light on the surface
makes us think otherwise.

What I See

What I see with my mind
tells me about myself.

What I see with my heart
tells me about others.

Double Blindness

God contains all,
both light and dark.

When all we see is God's light,
we blind ourselves to God's dark.

A double blindness.

Inner Light

We are the light
we carry within us.

The Support We Need

The support we need
shows up when we need it.

Even if we have
to create it ourselves.

Sometimes it's the creating we need,
not the support.

Love Has

Love has built a mountain
that no one can climb.

Love has filled an ocean
that no one can cross.

Love has made a sky
that no one can reach.

Yet love has opened a way
that anyone can take.

Mystery of Mysteries

Out of darkness, light.
Out of light, darkness.

How there can be
so much light
hidden in darkness
is a mystery.

How there can be
so much darkness
hidden in light is
a mystery of mysteries.

First Gospel

The teachings ABOUT Jesus
are the second gospel. 
They came later.

The teachings OF Jesus
are the first gospel. 
They teach us about ourselves --
that we are ALL children of God,
that we are living in God's land,
that we have what we need,
that we have nothing to fear,
that we are richest when we give,
that we are happiest when we help.
that we are wisest when we love.

I was raised a second-gospel Christian.
I'd rather be a first-gospel Christian now.

Under Every Foot

The middle way
accepts light and dark.

The middle way
forces no change.

The middle way
follows the path of wisdom.

The middle way
travels the road of kindness.

The middle way
starts under every foot.

That Place

Heaven is that place
that takes in our pain
and turns it into light.

A Matter of Awareness

The spiritual journey into God
is not a journey at all.

The spiritual journey into God
is a matter of awareness.

Gateless Heaven

There's no gate into heaven.

How could there be when
there's no inside and no outside?

The only gate keeping us out
is our unwillingness to see this.

Nothing Empty

When I look,
I see nothing.

When I listen,
I hear nothing.

When I trust,
nothing is empty.

Baby Steps

The death of doubt
is the first step into God.

The death of heaven
is the next step into God.

The death of fear
is the next to last step into God.

Discernment Decision

Am I deciding?
Or am I discerning?

In Tao, both are the same.

Eureka

Those who search for truth
eventually find truth.

It may not be the truth
they set out to find.

It may not be the truth
other seekers find.

But that doesn't mean
it isn't true.

Those who search for truth
eventually discover this.

True Test

What is True will be true
both within and without.

What is not True won't.

Blessings

I bless my family
because they gave me
my first look at community.

I bless my peers
because they travel with me
through this spot of time and space.

I bless my enemies
because they make me
both alert and compassionate.

When I bless others,
the blessings come back to me.
When I don't, both of us miss out.

The Light We Shed

We rarely see the light
we shed around us.

We forget even a candle
shines brighter in total dark.

Ready or Not

When I'm ready for it,
the right moment arrives.

When I'm not ready for it,
the right moment passes by.

I think I know when I'm ready.
Tao knows when I'm not.