Wall Fence Gate Door

Wall. Fence. Gate. Door.

The first keeps others out.
The second keeps us in.
The third lets us out.
The fourth lets others in.

Good houses have all four.

Cause and Effect

Enlightenment.

Internal experience.
External effect.

Four Guides

A traditional guide
guides from in front.

A clever guide
guides from behind.

A loving guide
guides by example.

An enlightened guide
guides by not guiding.

Old Names

Grace is an old name
for encounters with Tao.

Wisdom is an old name
for encounters with God.

Humility is an old name
for encounters with myself.

Perfect

Perfection is not about
fighting our flaws and dark sides.

Perfection is about being
fully and completely who we are.

No Word

Names split one
into many.

Words break one
into ten thousand things.

This is why there is
no name for Tao.

This is why there is
no word for God.

The Poverty of Too Much

Too much wealth
is its own form of poverty.
It takes away our humanity
and robs us of compassion.

The cure for poverty is not
more of what we don't have.
The cure for poverty
is a balancing of the scales.

Carrying Light

We all live in darkness,
but we carry our own light.

We won't realize this, though,
if we don't look within.

Easy and Hard

Cling to what is easy,
and it becomes easier.

Avoid what is hard,
and it becomes harder.

Easy and hard
create each other.

Avoid avoiding.
Cling to non-clinging.

Hard becomes easy again.
Easy becomes hard again.

That One

What we do with the one
who is not like the rest of us
depends on how long it's been
since we were that one.

Family Tree

Every twig follows
its own path to the sun.
And yet, even branches
tell each other what to do.
This is how a tree is formed.

Communities grow this way, too.
We each want our share of the light,
but when we block the way for others,
we stunt the growth of all.

Actions Last

Happiness is a feeling.
Kindness is an action.

Anger is a feeling.
Violence is an action.

Feelings are transient.
Actions are not.