January 30th

Lovemaking



Nocturnal downpour
Wakes the lovers,
Floods the valley.

Making love is natural. Why be ashamed of it?That seems simple, but it is actually a great challenge in these complex times. Too many other layers of meaning have been imposed upon sex. Religions straitjacket it, ascetics deny it, romantics glorify it, intellectuals theorize about it, obsessives pervert it. These actions have nothing to do with lovemaking. They come from fanaticism and compulsive behavior. Can we actually master the challenge of having lovemaking be open and healthy?
Sex should not be used as leverage, manipulation, selfishness, or abuse. It should not be a ground for our personal compulsions and delusions.
Sexuality is an honest reflection of our innermost personalities, and we should ensure that its expression is healthy. Making love is something mysterious, sacred, and often the most profound interaction between people. Whether what is created is a relationship or pregnancy, the legacy of both partners will be inherent in their creation. What we put into love determines what we get out of it.

Personal Interpretation


Sex is a natural expression of ourselves, a beautiful and special act with the right partner.We should work to keep it meaningful and pure. It should not be the grounds for obsession. It should not be perverted or used a form of manipulation. The text states that we get out of love what we put into it. While there is great truth in these words, it is crucial that we do not confuse love with a particular relationship. We should get out what we put into a relationship, but it does not always work this way. We should consider what we can and cannot endure. If our needs are not being met and our energies seem wasted, it may be time to move on. There is no shame in this.

January 29th

Scars


Markings in dry clay disappear
Only when the clay is soft again.
Scars upon the self disappear
Only when one becomes soft within.

Throughout our life, but especially during our youth, many scars are inflicted upon us. Some of them are the results of violence, abuse, rape, or warfare. Others arise from bad education. A few come from humiliation and failure. Others are caused by our own misadventures. Unless we recover from these injuries, the scars mar us forever.Classical scriptures urge us to withdraw from our own lusts and sins. But scars that have happened through no fault of our own may also bar us from spiritual success. Unfortunately, it is often easier to give up a bad habit than to recover from the incisions of others' violence. The only way is through self-cultivation. Doctors and priests can only do so much. The true course of healing is up to us alone. To do this, we must acquire many methods, travel widely, struggle to overcome our personal phobias, and perhaps most importantly of all, try to acquire as few new problems as possible. Unless we do, each one of them will bar us from true communion with Tao.

Personal Interpretation

Some of us bear physical scars. Many more of us come to carry scars that are invisible to the naked eye. Some are the result of crimes others perpetrate against us, and some are the result of crimes we commit against ourselves. We must work to heal from the injuries we sustain if we hope to move forward. Self-cultivation is key. Our teachers and mentors can only do so much for us. We must take ownership of our own lives.

Healing takes time but is well worth it in the end, as it opens the passage within ourselves that is attuned to Tao. We must be prepared to devote our entire lives to the cultivation of the self, the healing of the soul, and the reaching for Tao. Only then can we be fulfilled.

The passage above notes that markings in dry clay disappear only when the clay is soft again. We must confess the existence of the scars that mar us. This takes great courage. To steel ourselves and fight against the truth will get us nowhere. Admission of weakness is the first step on the road to acquiring great strength.

January 28th

Accountability


A father without a father
Has difficulty balancing.
A master without a master
Is dangerous.

We look up to our parents, our teachers, and our leaders with trust and expectation. Their responsibility is to guide us, educate us, and even make judgments on our behalf when circumstances are uncertain. Ultimately, they are to bring us to the point where we can make our own decisions, based on the wisdom that they have helped us develop.But the potential for abuse and mistakes is very great. What person can be right all the time? A simple lapse at the wrong time can cause confusion, psychological scars, and even great disaster. Harsh words during a child's impressionable moments can engender years of problems. That is why we need a parent for the parent, a master for the master, and leaders for the leaders. This prevents errors of power. In the past, even kings had wise advisers. Every person who would be a leader should have such assistance.
Eventually, someone has to be at the top. And who will that person turn to? Let us invoke not deities but pragmatism. It is experience that is the ultimate teacher. That is why wise people travel constantly and test themselves against the flux of circumstance. It is only in this way that they can truly confirm their thoughts and compensate for their shortcomings.

Personal Interpretation

Teachers, parents, and other leaders offer their wisdom and often act on our behalf until we are able to do this for ourselves. They are not perfect. The experiences of their lives shape their view of the world, what they choose to impart, and how they choose to impart it.  Psychological damage can be caused by inaction. Distress can follow on the heels of the wrong action. We all make mistakes. Some clearly have more disastrous consequences than others. And this is why even the leaders should have leaders. The masters should have masters. And there is no greater master than living life. The greatest instructors are not just sayers. They are doers. They have learned to control themselves. They are patient and open-minded. They are themselves students of a sort. Students of life.

January 27th

Feasting

Feasting is the flame in mid-winter
That kindles the fire of friendship
And strengthens the community.

In the past, feasting was a way to bind the community closer together. The same is true today. Whether they are cultural gatherings, times of group worship, or even special dinners with friends, we all need moments where we come together and reaffirm the importance of our group.The cheer that we feel is essential both to the collective and the individuals involved. The affirmation of the group should not be a sublimation of the individual but rather a framework for involvement. A good gathering requires participation -- the efforts of organization, work, and attendance -- and in turn gives back sustenance for body and soul, a sense of belonging, and the accomplishment of something that could not be done by the individuals alone.
Like any other human endeavor, the feast is vulnerable to manipulation and politics, the selfish maneuvering of cynical individuals. This is difficult to avoid completely, for it is impossible for any group to truly be united. The only way to mitigate this is for the collective to keep its intentions strictly on its purpose, to select its leaders wisely, and for those leaders to be as enlightened as possible..

Personal Interpretation: 

Sometimes we can spend too much time trapped within ourselves. It's important to gather with family friends, and community from time to time, important to reaffirm the value of the group. Individuality should never be sacrificed, but the needs of the group must be weighed against the needs of the individual. There will always be those group members who attempt to manipulate situations to their advantage. We must accept that this will sometimes be the case, and insure that we do not act in a similar fashion.

We seek enlightenment of self for our own benefit, but our choices can also benefit the various groups of which we are a part.

January 26th

Adoration


Images on the altar,
Or imagined within :
We pray to them,
But do they answer?

The wise tell us how important adoration is. So we kneel before altars, give offerings, and make sacrifices. In our meditations, we are taught to see gods within ourselves and to make supplications to receive power and knowledge. This we do with great sincerity, until the masters say that there are no gods. Then we are confused.The statue on the altar is mere wood and gold leaf, but our need to be reverent is real. The god within may be nothing but visualization, but our need for concentration is real. The attributes of heaven are utopian conjectures, but the essence of these parables is real. The gods, then, represent certain philosophies and extraordinary facets of the human mind. When we devote ourselves to gods, we establish communion with these deeper aspects.
The thought that we are worshipping symbolism may make us uncomfortable. We are educated to accept only the tangible, the scientific, and the material. We doubt the efficacy of adoring the merely symbolic, and we are confused when such reverence brings about genuine personal transformation. But worship does affect our feelings and thoughts. When the wise say that there are no gods, they mean that the key to understanding all things is within ourselves. External worship is merely a means to point within to the true source of salvation.

Personal Interpretation: 

It is healthy to believe in something greater than ourselves, even if that something is the idea of a perfected self, the idea that we are capable of more than we imagine. In prayer, we give thanks for our blessings and ask for assistance, and often, in the process, we learn what we need to do in order to bring about meaningful change within our lives. We come to realize that we are capable of more than we previously believed. That is a wonderful thing, a life-altering thing.

We are taught to look beyond ourselves as we make inquiries of our world. An external object or the idea of something divine that is separate from ourselves, may help us to focus our energies. Ultimately, we should turn within.

Prayer is an act that benefits the self. It is an act that works to connect one to the universe of which one is a part.

January 25th

Uselessness


An ancient gnarled tree :
Too fibrous for a logger's saw,
Too twisted to fit a carpenter's square,
Outlasts the whole forest.

Loggers delight in straight-grained, strong, fragrant wood. If the timber is too difficult to cut, too twisted to be made straight, too foul-odored for cabinets, and too spongy for firewood, it is left alone. Useful trees are cut down. Useless ones survive.The same is true of people. The strong are conscripted. The beautiful are exploited. Those who are too plain to be noticed are the ones who survive. They are left alone and safe.
But what if we ourselves are among such plain persons? Though others may neglect us, we should not think of ourselves as being without value. We must not accept the judgment of others as the measure of our own self-worth. Instead, we should live our lives in simplicity. Surely, we will have flaws, but we must take stock in them according to our own judgment and then use them as a measure of self-improvement. Since we need not expend energy in putting on airs or maintaining a position, we are actually free to cultivate the best parts of our personalities. Thus, to be considered useless is not a reason for despair, but an opportunity. It is the chance to live without interference and to express one's own individuality.

Personal Interpretation: 

We should not necessarily hold ourselves to the same standards that society does. What society holds to be beautiful is not always so. Epitomes of extreme find it difficult to find and maintain balance in their lives. They are exploited for some characteristic that they possess.

We should make an effort to value ourselves, but to be content to occupy low places. We should seek to live modestly. It is useless to spend a lot of energy on things that don't really matter in the end. We should ultimately spend less time beautifying ourselves or otherwise making ourselves into something society desires, and more time cultivating the deeper aspects of our natures. At every turn, we should be true to ourselves and work to acknowledge the truer, more valuable aspects of the natures of others as well.

January 24th

Laughter


Hilly village lanes,
Whitewashed sunlit walls.
Cerulean sea.
The laughter of children.

No matter where in the world you go, no matter how many languages are spoken, and no matter how many times cultures and governments clash, the laughter of children is universally uplifting. The mirth of adults can be variously jealous, insecure, sadistic, cruel, or absurd, but the sound of playing children evokes the ideal of a simple and pure act. There are no concepts, no ideologies -- only the innocent pleasure of life.We as adults dwell upon our grizzled complexities, our existential anxieties, and our preoccupations with responsibilities. We hear the merriment of children and may sigh over our lost childhoods. Although we can no longer fit into our old clothes and become young again, we can take comfort in the optimism of children. Their rejoicing can gladden us all.
We are too often in a rush for our children to grow up. It is far better for them to fully live each year of their lives. Let them learn what is appropriate to their time, let them play. And when their childhood is spent at adolescence, help them in a gentle transition. Then their laughter will continue to resonate with cheer and hope for us all.

Personal Interpretation: 

To seek Tao is to seek the richness of simplicity. Children embody laughter that has no devious motivation. They wake up and see the world for what it can be. We should let their optimism inspire us to see the world differently. It's not worth it to get too tangled up in our various responsibilities and obligations. Life is more enjoyable when we keep things simple and enjoy the wonders of existence.

January 23rd

Renewal

City on a hill,
Untouched land beyond.
A fallow field is
The secret of fertility.

In the city, we see millions of lives represented in the windows, doors, and many floors of each building. We see excitement and the glories of civilization. But no matter how much those who follow Tao may enjoy the city, they understand the need for retreat into nature.In the countryside, they find the nurturing quality of freedom. They can see new possibilities and can wander without societal impositions. In the past, pioneers saw the open prairies and were filled with dreams of dominating nature with the glories of man. Now we know different : We must preserve the wilds for our very survival.
We need time to lie fallow. If you cannot leave the city, just find a little quiet time each day to withdraw into yourself. If you are able to walk in fields or in the hills, so much the better. But none of us can maintain the fertility of our beings without renewal.

Personal Interpretation 


The most productive land is given a chance to rest between plantings. If we want to live the lives of our choosing, we have to escape from the bustle of our lives on occasion. Otherwise, civilization will quickly wear us down so that good things are no longer able to grow and thrive within us.

We are constantly trying to impose our will on nature, but Taoism teaches us that we are a part of what we would bring to heel. By working to preserve nature, we preserve ourselves. By looking to natural cycles, we come to see and understand how our lives are microcosms of the universe.

There is a time for everything. A time to work, yes. But also a time to rest. Cessation of physical activity does not mean idleness though. We must make ourselves still so that we can reflect upon our being.

January 22nd

The lesson of the day reads thus:

Movement, objects, speech, and words :
We communicate through gross symbols.
We call them "objective,"
But we cannot escape our point of view.

We cannot communicate directly from mind to mind, and so misinterpretation is a perennial problem. Motions, signs, talking, and the written word are all encumbered by miscommunication. A dozen eyewitnesses to the same event cannot agree on a single account. We may each see something different in cards set up by a circus magician. Therefore, we are forever imprisoned by our subjectivity.Followers of Tao assert that we know no absolute truth in the world, only varying degrees of ambiguity. Some call this poetry; some call this art. The fact remains that all communication is relative. Those who follow Tao are practical. They know that words are imperfect and therefore give them limited importance : The symbol is not the same as the reality.

Personal Interpretation: 

Tao is that which cannot be named or experienced directly. It is the space between things, the essence embodying the mortal and the divine. It is the dual nature of existence. Today's lesson holds that communication is imperfect because of the limited range of the lens through which we view reality. We are all capable of seeing only a small piece of the puzzle, and none of us sees exactly the same thing. Truth then, cannot be absolute. How can we determine the nature of something when we can't see it in its entirety, when we can't separate our experience of it from our narrow perspectives?

For me, Taoism is a quest for the truth that can never be known in this plane of being.. It is a recognizing of the barriers that exist. It is coming to see that, while we seem to constitute those barriers, we are more than we imagine ourselves to be. We build barriers that keep us from the light. That we simultaneously seek illumination speaks to our divine origins.

There is power in words, but there is also power in silent reflection. Action and inaction both have places in our lives. We must learn when to exercise patience, when to reflect, and when to act. Timing is everything. If we distance ourselves from the sounds of civilization, we can receive the messages of the universe. We can gaze in wonder at the organization of the Heavens and learn to organize ourselves in a similar fashion, so that we communicate the essence of ourselves in a way that is easily understood. Words are tools, and we should not use them overmuch, particularly when they hurt rather than help our purpose.