Monday, August 31, 2015

Like Water


Compassion is like water.
It flows toward the low places.

Mindful attention is like water.
It washes and cleans as it goes.

Close listening is like water.
Its surface reflects the sky.


Sunday, August 30, 2015

When I Am


My eyes become Tao eyes.
My ears become Tao ears.
My skin becomes Tao skin.
My nose becomes Tao nose.
My tongue becomes Tao tongue.

When I am awake.


Saturday, August 29, 2015

Impassable


Some paths are impassable.

When we discover this,
do we continue or turn back?

No spiritual path is impassable.


Friday, August 28, 2015

Wu-wei Haiku


Clouds over shadows.
Mountain skirts in August green.
Finger clicks just now.


Thursday, August 27, 2015

Which Nation?


Wisdom or wealth.
Which is more valuable?

Wisdom leads to understanding.
Understanding leads to compassion.
Compassion leads to charity.

Wealth leads to possessiveness.
Possessiveness leads to distrust.
Distrust leads to surveillance.

Which nation would you
rather call home?


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Solomon


Asking the Divine for wisdom.
Why is this not a wise request?


Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Not Yet Cured


I'm constantly healed of fear,
but I've yet to be cured of it.

Another reason to rest in Tao.


Monday, August 24, 2015

Deeper Look


Disunity eventually
creates its own unity.

Unity falls apart
over time.

To see structure in this
requires deeper looking.

To find only coincidence
is easier.


Sunday, August 23, 2015

Poor Vision


How easy it is
to see the garden
and not the flower.

How simple a thing
to notice the mountain
but miss the stone.

How sad it is
to seek and seek
and find nothing at all.


Saturday, August 22, 2015

Three Sources


Sympathy comes
from the spirit.

Empathy comes
from the body.

Apathy comes
from the mind.


Friday, August 21, 2015

Selfish Forgiving


If I forgive you for your sake,
I haven't really forgiven you.

If I forgive you for my sake,
I can finally begin to heal.

True forgiveness is selfish.
I forgive for me, not for you.

When I forgive for myself,
your life also improves.


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Three Lights


The first light falls
on my selfish mind.

The second light falls
on my curious mind.

The third light falls
on my silent mind.


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Doubly Blind


Help arises from within
for the spiritually blind --
but only if they're willing to see.

If not, they're doubly blind.


Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Size Limit


Big or small,
strength isn't
limited by size.

It's limited by what
we believe is true.


Monday, August 17, 2015

Extinction


We have no future 
without community.

When we give
up on community,
we give up on the species.


Sunday, August 16, 2015

Power Limit


The power of fear
lies in its ability
to isolate us.

The power of love
lies in its ability
to connect us.


Saturday, August 15, 2015

Closed Loop


One path grows narrower.
Another path grows wider.

Together, they complete the circle.


Friday, August 14, 2015

What We Will See


God only exists
in the minds of those
who believe in God.

There is no God
in the minds of those
who don't believe.

Faith creates God.
Denial destroys God.

We each choose
what we will see.


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Safer


To make a safer world for others
is to make a safer world for ourselves.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Shielded


Inner peace shields nothing.
Love offers no protection at all.

Inner peace requires no shield.
Compassion stills the need for fear.


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Not One Step


To go higher.
To go deeper.
To go farther.
To go broader.

Not one step
is required.


Monday, August 10, 2015

Where Most Live


To believe
or not to believe.

Both take courage.

One tests freedom.
The other tests security.

Most live in between.


Sunday, August 9, 2015

Stay or Go


I look down an old road.
No telling what lies at the end.

If I'm not willing to help others,
I might as well stay home.


Saturday, August 8, 2015

Where Balance Occurs


The center isn't
necessarily in the middle.

It's at that point
where balance occurs.


Friday, August 7, 2015

Persistence


Serenity is fleeting.
Gratitude continues.

Joy comes and goes.
Wisdom remains.

Happiness fades. 
Compassion lasts.


Thursday, August 6, 2015

What Never Began


Time ends.
Space ends.
The universe ends. 
The ten thousand things end.

What ends
begins again.

What doesn't end
never began.


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Legacy Seeds


Legacies are the seeds
the past plants in the present
to bloom in the future.

Some seeds die in the ground.
Some grow into choking weeds.
Some grow into gardens.

How hard it is to know
which seeds I'm planting.


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

My Part


My responsibility
is to live my part
of the tree of life,
because the tree of life
sustains us all.

Its roots go deeper
than anything I know.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Which Tired?


When I am tired
at the end of a day,
which tired am I?

Am I tired because
I pressed against
the current of Tao?

Or am I tired because
I swam strong
in the current of Tao?

One is exhausting.
One is exhilarating.


Sunday, August 2, 2015

Always More


There is always more
than meets the eye.
This is where
light comes from.

There is always more
than meets the heart.
This is where
darkness comes from.


Saturday, August 1, 2015

The First Mystery


Even when I listen,
I don't always hear.

Even when I look,
I don't always see.

This is the first
mystery of God.