What Each Moment Contains

Each moment
can contain only itself.
It does not carry the future.
It cannot hold the past.

It has only enough room
for the timeless now.
The true home of eternity.

Divine Deafness?

When I ask for insight
and no answer offers itself,
is it because the Divine is deaf?
Or is it because I am?

Keys to a Simple Life

When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor, he wasn't talking about wealth. He wasn't talking about the evils of being rich.

He was talking about simplicity.

The more I have, the harder it is for me to live a simple life. The more I have, the harder it is to let go of what I have. The more keys I have on my keychain, the more complicated my life becomes. My possessions begin to possess me.

To live a simple life is not as simple as it looks.

Secrets of a Sound

A low gong echoes across a valley
from one mountainside to another.

The sound travels unseen by any eye
like a secret meant only for the ears.

What else lies hidden within its depths?

Not a Substitute

Presence is not
a substitute for awareness.

Awareness is not
a substitute for mindfulness.

Mindfulness is not
a substitute for compassion.

Being Strong, Being Broken

Allowing myself to be strong
where I am strong is one
of my greatest spiritual tasks.

Allowing myself to be broken
where I am broken is one
of my greatest spiritual treasures.

Knowing and Doing

Some things cannot be known by knowing. They can only be known by doing.

Startled Mind

Like clapping
under a tree
full of birds,
I can startle
my mind
into silence.

But I cannot
startle my mind
into stillness.

Open Hands

When I open my hands,
is it to give what I have?
Or to receive what life offers?

Sunrise. Sunset.

Sunrise. Sunset.
One opens the day.
One opens the night.

Sunrise. Sunset.
One closes the night.
One closes the day.

Open. Close.
One cannot live
without the other.

When You Make a Decision

When you make a decision,
you collapse waves into particles.

When you choose one way over another,
you set a universe in motion.

When you cut off deliberation,
you free yourself for the next step.

Four Fruits

Four fruits grow
on the tree of good and evil.

First is the fruit of envy.
Second is the fruit of fear.
Third is the fruit of innocence.
Fourth is the fruit of compassion.

Be careful which ones you pick.