Starvelings

Pity those who
hunger after money.

They're starvelings
of fear.

Can't Tell

Tell me what I hear
when I hear that still, small voice.

Tell me what I see
when I see the hand of God.

Tell me what I feel
when I feel the currents of Tao.

I can't tell you these things, either.

One Step

One step up.
One step down.

In the scheme
of the universe,
one step doesn't
matter at all.

But we still want it
to matter to us.

The Gift of Listening

Listening is one
of the greatest gifts
we can offer one another.

How others use
the gift of our ear
is not always up to us.

But it does affect
who we give it to again.

The Hardest Day

The hardest day
only lasts a day,
but it's impossible to know
which day is the hardest
while you're living it.

Miracle

When all of the money
has been carried off,
all that will be left behind
are baskets of loaves and fishes.

Four Plagues

Fear is what divides us.
Hate is what defeats us.
Greed is what starves us.
Ignorance is what kills us.

Not Required

Silence does not
require a quiet place.

Serenity does not
need a peaceful setting.

Anxiety does not
depend on a chaotic life.

Etched

A line etched in sand
is easy to sweep away.

A line etched in stone
is harder to erase.

A line etched in the heart
is the most difficult to forget.

Do We Know?

Do we know
what is fair
in every case?

Do we know
what is just
in every response?

Do we know
what is true
in every disagreement?

When we know
what we don't know,
right action becomes easier.

Sower

The sower
of the universe
tends the garden
even now.

But it is often
hard to see this.

Pure Dark

Darkness threatens us
because it contains
what we do not know.

This explains why
pure light appears so dark.