Threads of Thinking

Symbols, language, math -- these are the threads we think with.

They are the woven fabric of our consciousness. We use them to filter and make sense of the relentless data pouring through our eyes and ears and nose and mouth and skin.

Some things cannot be clothed in words or numbers. They are invisible to our conscious mind.

When we silence the symbols and still the mind, what is invisible will appear.

Acts of God

Lightning strikes from ground and sky.
Tornadoes turn houses into missiles.
Hurricanes recast the boundaries of oceans.
Silence empties a space for the Divine.

Even When Being

Be still even when being still.
Be silent even when being silent.
Be calm even when being calm.

Sink into every moment
as if it were quicksand
even when it is quicksand.

Be present even when being present.

First Dependence

We are a communal species. We need to be able to depend on one another as we travel the arc of our individual lives.

In this journey, it is best to depend first on ourselves before we depend on others.

Six Questions

What is the sound of your reflection in a mirror?
What is the taste of your own voice?
What is the scent of your innermost thought?
What is the touch of your fingerprint left on a table?
What is the sight of your quietest breath?
What is the truth of your own experience?

A Hard Mystery

When I can let go of the worries in the pit of my stomach, on that day I can let go of the Tao.

When I can let the fears of my life flow out of me like water, on that day I can let the Tao flow away, too.

Until that day, though, the only way I know to let go of my worries and fears is to be aware of being in the Tao.

How can something so simple and easy seem so hard at times?

A mystery.

Learning to Laugh

Learning to laugh at yourself can be dangerous because it can cause your face to crack open.

Once they start, the cracks can grow and grow until the entire shell breaks away in pieces, and there you are. The you you thought you had lost, but had only misplaced.

It's like finding your favorite toy packed away in a box.

Talking to the Divine

Can I talk to the Divine?
Of course.

Will it listen?
Of course.

Will it respond?
Of course.

Will I know this?
Only if I am willing to know.

When Justice Rolls Down

When justice rolls down like a river,
the valley floods to the mountaintops.

When justice rolls down like a river,
we see how much less we give than we take.

When justice rolls down like a river,
we discover our own need for mercy.

When justice rolls down like a river,
we learn a new reason to forgive.

Letting Go

Righteousness does not make us moral.
Morality does not make us pure.
Purity does not make us acceptable.
Acceptance does not make us whole.

We become whole when we let go of acceptance.
We become acceptable when we let go of purity.
We become pure when we let go of morality.
We become moral when we let go of righteousness.

Open Curtains

Light flows in when
curtains are open at noon.

Light flows out when
curtains are open at night.

It is as if your house is breathing.

The Smallest Voice

Great rivers drain the land,
and storms distill into oceans.

Forests drip with birds,
and cities swim in sound.

Two friends talk across a fence,
and boundaries become solid.

The smallest voice whispers,
and everyone cups an ear.