Empty and Full

True emptiness
is not empty.

True fullness
is not full.

Emptiness is ripe
with possibility.

Fullness holds
only what you need.

Garbage

Hate is
the garbage
of fear.

Justice

If you want
to stand up
for justice,
live a just life.

Build community
wherever you are.

One way or another,
you'll get what you give.

Thanksgiving

The straightest way
to turn pain into wisdom
is to be grateful for the pain.

The simplest way
to turn darkness into light
is to be thankful for the darkness.

Gratitude opens our eyes
to things we can't see
any other way.

Mattering to Tao

Would the universe
be less without us?
Would life be incomplete
in our absence?
Does it matter
that we're here at all?

No way to know.

It's better just to live
this moment as though
we matter to Tao.

Nothing More

There is what is.
There is what I see.
There is what I think I see.

What I think I see depends on
what I tell myself I see.

What I see depends on
where I turn my gaze.

What is depends on
what it is and nothing more.

Last to Discover

Fish are the last
to discover water.

Believers are the last
to discover Tao.

Gate of Indifference

What stands between us
and the future that looks so bright
is nothing more than the gate
of our own indifference.

Enter Here

If your heaven
has a gate,
then it's a heaven
you've created,
not a heaven
God created.

God wouldn't
create a heaven
with a gate,
much less a fence.

Every Journey

Wherever it takes us,
every journey brings us
back home in the end.

But home is never the same
after we've been away.

Darkness of Tao

The darkness of Tao
only frightens me when
I forget the light of Tao.

Tribal Paradox

My tribe helps keep me safe,
but it also hems me in.

The first allows me to explore.
The second pushes me to explore.

Exploration opens my eyes 
to a much larger tribe.

A box within a box within a box.

Forever Beautiful

Why should I want
to be happy every minute?

If it were always noon,
I'd miss the stars.

If it were always midnight,
I'd miss the blue sky.

Rising or setting,
the sun is forever beautiful.

Stream

What is surface?
What is depth?

See only surface
and know only
shadows of self.

See only depth
and know only
shadows of Tao.

Making the Journey

Each path has
its resting places.

Each resting place
has its purpose.

Together they make
the journey possible.

Can't Save a Forest

I can't save a forest,
but I can save a tree.

I can't build a city,
but I can build a life.

I can't liberate a nation,
but I can free my own mind.

Insane Doubt

Doubt serves a purpose.

It takes away my sanity
long enough for me
to see how crazy I am,
then Tao blows it away
like a wisp of smoke,
and I am once again
in my right mind.

Thirst

Who is thirsty?
Who has enough?
Who has too much?

All thirst for water. 
Many thirst for money.
Some thirst for power.
Few thirst for wisdom.

Big surprise.

Both Minds

There is the mind
that tells me I am not
anyone else but myself.

There is the mind
that tells me I am not
anything else but One.

Both minds chatter.
Both minds prosper.
Both minds hinder.

No mind is true mind.

(But what mind would
ever find its way to that?)

Our Deeper Roots

When the ground
shifts beneath us,
our deeper roots
are often laid bare.

What God Allows

Why does God
allow darkness?

So we can rest.
So we can hide
our own darkness.

Why does God
allow light?

So we can play.
So we can see
our own light.

Reclaimed

Every place we reclaim
from fear and doubt
becomes a sacred place.

Community Health

A healthy community
nurtures its many voices
and celebrates its diversity.

A sick community
nurtures its prejudices
and celebrates its piety.

The first draws prosperity.
The second draws anxiety.

Doubtful Turn

Doubt turns me away from Tao
and toward my own reflection.

I see how frail I am.
I see how small and fragile.

And that's the way I remain
until I turn around again.

Leader

Enlightenment
doesn't lead
to compassion.

Compassion
lights the way
to enlightenment.

This is why
compassion
scatters darkness.

Every Voice Matters

Every voice matters
whether it's heard or not.

Turning a deaf ear
doesn't silence anyone.

Listening is a better path
whether we agree or not.

Vote Money

If you let
money buy
your vote,
you have
no voice.

The Light We Need

The light we need
comes when we need it,
but not always from
the direction we expect.

Another reason to pay attention.

Changing Times

Changing times
call for cooperation,
but scatter us instead.

Life becomes unpredictable,
and we feel the fears
of our own separateness.

Rebuilding community
is the way back to sanity.

Already Home

I whirl like a dervish,
but where does it get me?

I turn and turn and turn,
but where do I end up?

There is nowhere to go.
I'm already home.