Sunday, November 30, 2014

Empty and Full


True emptiness
is not empty.

True fullness
is not full.

Emptiness is ripe
with possibility.

Fullness holds
only what you need.


Friday, November 28, 2014

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.


Thursday, November 27, 2014

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.


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

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.


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

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.


Monday, November 24, 2014

Last to Discover


Fish are the last
to discover water.

Believers are the last
to discover Tao.


Sunday, November 23, 2014

Gate of Indifference


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


Saturday, November 22, 2014

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.


Friday, November 21, 2014

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.


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Darkness of Tao


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


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

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.


Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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.


Monday, November 17, 2014

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.


Sunday, November 16, 2014

Making the Journey


Each path has
its resting places.

Each resting place
has its purpose.

Together they make
the journey possible.


Saturday, November 15, 2014

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.

Friday, November 14, 2014

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.


Thursday, November 13, 2014

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.


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

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?)


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Our Deeper Roots


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


Monday, November 10, 2014

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.


Sunday, November 9, 2014

Reclaimed


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


Saturday, November 8, 2014

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.


Friday, November 7, 2014

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.


Thursday, November 6, 2014

Leader


Enlightenment
doesn't lead
to compassion.

Compassion
lights the way
to enlightenment.

This is why
compassion
scatters darkness.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

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.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Monday, November 3, 2014

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.


Sunday, November 2, 2014

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.


Saturday, November 1, 2014

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.