Sunday, May 31, 2015

Saturday, May 30, 2015

So Fleeting


Satisfaction is
a state of mind,
not a circumstance.

It comes when
I am complete.

This is why I find it
so fleeting.


Friday, May 29, 2015

Unlikely


If I use nature to change nature,
will I end up with a better nature?

If I use you to change you,
will I end up with a better you?

If I use God to change God,
will I end up with a better God?

Unlikely.


Thursday, May 28, 2015

Aspirations


Aspirations give us
something to do.
They are the children
of our drives and desires.

But why those drives?
Why those desires?
Where do they come from?
When did I choose them?

Maybe that's the work of life:
To mine the source of all
that we want and do
not think we have.


Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Fences


Fences are for the body.
Fields are for the mind.
Gates are for the spirit.


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Three Doors


The door
to satisfaction.
Heavy and
hard to open.

The door
to fear.
Locks that
can't be locked.

The door
to wisdom.
Doorway
without a door.


Monday, May 25, 2015

Not So Clear


Half is filled with light.
Half is nothing but dark.

Which half is light?
Which half is dark?

Inside my own skin,
I can answer this just fine.

Outside, it's not so clear.


Saturday, May 23, 2015

No Fear in Tao


Tao hates
nothing Tao brings
into being.

Hate is a property
of fear.

There is no fear
in Tao.


Friday, May 22, 2015

Nothing Can Make You


Nothing can make you
love someone you fear.

Nothing can make you
bless your enemies.

Nothing can make you
accept the darkness within.

Nothing does what it chooses,
whether you realize it or not.


Thursday, May 21, 2015

What Fear Can Erase


Fear can erase history.
Fear can erase science.
Fear can erase knowledge.

Fear can erase cities.
Fear can erase cultures.
Fear can erase civilizations.

But fear cannot erase fear.
Only love can do that.


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Heart of Stone


A heart of stone
is a heart
already broken.

Sometimes pain
is the path Tao takes
to reach us.


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

Greatest Enemy


My greatest enemy
is the voice of my own fear.

My greatest weapon
is to love my enemy as myself.


Sunday, May 17, 2015

To Be Free


To be free of fears about
the future brings confidence.

To be free of fears about
the past brings peace of mind.

To be free of fears about
the present brings serenity.

To be free of fears about
future, past, and present
brings true freedom.


Saturday, May 16, 2015

Seeing the World


A pilgrim sees the world
as a foreigner sees it.
A traveler of unfamiliar lands.

A seeker sees the world
as an infant sees it.
Soft ground awaiting footprints.

A mystic sees the world
as one at home in it.
A regular guest of Tao.


Friday, May 15, 2015

Poverty of Too Much


The greatest poverty
is poverty of spirit.

It comes from the poverty
of too much wealth.


Thursday, May 14, 2015

What This Moment Holds


The way to diminish
my fear of the future
is to trust the Divine
and love everything
this moment holds.


Wednesday, May 13, 2015

No Loss


Happiness can't be owned.
Contentment can't be bought.
Compassion can't be lost.


Monday, May 11, 2015

Three Teachers


Responsibility teaches us to grow up.
Compassion teaches us to grow out.
Wisdom teaches us to grow in.


Sunday, May 10, 2015

Underneath


When I clear away anger,
I discover pain underneath.

When I clear away the pain,
I discover fear underneath.

When I clear away the fear,
I discover Tao underneath.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

Deep Calm


I think I'm separate from Tao,
but I can't be separated from Tao.

It's my reflection that makes me
think Tao and I are separate.

It's the deep, calm surface
that lets me know otherwise.


Friday, May 8, 2015

What It Is


Art is whatever
I choose to see as art.

Everything else is
science or mystery.


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Two Minds


I am of two minds. 
One mind is awake.
One mind is asleep.

When I quiet
my wakeful mind,
my sleeping mind
usually wakes up.


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Without Our Awareness


Tao moves among us
without our awareness.

Tao carves us like wood
without our awareness.

Tao hides within us
without our awareness.

To become aware is easy.
To allow it to happen is hard.


Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Observer


To look is not always to see.
To see is not always to know.
To know is not always to understand.

The observer sees.
The seeker experiences.


Monday, May 4, 2015

Potential



Potential always
points to the future,
but it can only be
realized here and now.

Hold back what is not ready.
Harvest what is ripe.


Sunday, May 3, 2015

Religion and Paradise


If I need a religion
to get into paradise,
it isn't much of a paradise.

If I need paradise
to validate my religion,
it isn't much of a religion.

True paradise excludes no one.
True religion points within.


Saturday, May 2, 2015

More or Less


The more people I know.
The more friends I have.
The more circles I move in.
The more cultures I embrace.
The more places I explore.
The more connections I make.
The more secure I become.

The fewer people I know.
The fewer friends I have.
The fewer circles I move in.
The fewer cultures I embrace.
The fewer places I explore.
The fewer connections I make.
The less secure I become.


Friday, May 1, 2015

Infinite Again


God can only be as big
as my imagination
will allow me to think.

God can only do as much
as my faith stretches me
to believe is possible.

When I quiet my mind,
God becomes infinite again.