April 30th

Openness


Nothing is meant to be.
There is no predestination.

In ancient texts, the idea of predestination is very strong, but the usage of the term is purely metaphorical. People in the past used the word to express feelings of affinity for a place, a time, or for others. But nothing of the future is set.There is no cosmic puppeteer at work. We are solely responsible for our own actions. It is true that we can become mired in circumstances so strong and so far-reaching that they will continue to have ramifications far into the future. For example, if we construct circumstances right, such as starting an organization to help others, then the good will last for a long time. However, if we fall far into debt and do nothing to help ourselves, then the bad will also last a long time. Yet in both cases, our lasting situations are results of our own actions. This is not destiny. It is causality.
Causality is from the past, and nothing is acting from the future. There is no script, no pattern to walk into. Everything has to be created, and we are the artists.
Those who follow Tao endeavor to have as few restrictions placed upon them as possible. By completing each action, they minimize causality. By living fully in the present, they absorb the best of what each day has to offer. By understanding that there is no literal destiny, fate, or predestination, they keep the future as free and open as possible. That is truly the openness of life.

Personal Interpretation


Openness is of the utmost importance to those who follow Tao. Adherents do not believe in the concept of fate. Predestination may have a place in fatalist religions, but it does not have a place in a philosophy that seeks to transcend the notion of there being a divine plan. Our actions may echo in the future, but this does not mean that we were predetermined to act in a given way. It only means that our action was one with great consequences. Sometimes the choices we make can impact our lives for a long time. If we make an effort to get a solid education, we are more likely to find gainful employment, provide for our needs, improve our standard of living, and afford to pursue dreams that may require money to fulfill. If, on the other hand, we put off paying our bills, the debt that results can also cripple us for a long time. We don't reap rewards or suffer because some vengeful or benevolent god wished it so. It is our own efforts that create our lives. To some extent, we create our circumstances. There will always be some aspects of them that are beyond our control, but we also have the ability to change them, and we get to decide the extent to which they affect our lives.

It cannot be denied-there is a kind of comfort in removing our own free will from the equation. We are no longer obligated to make wise decisions if everything has already been determined. We are like children following the routine that has been set for us. While Taoism asks us to be like children in our acceptance of the Universe and ourselves, it also asks us to achieve a certain maturity level, the maturity level that is necessary to make decisions that impact not only our own lives, but which may have ramifications for the world at large. It is a big responsibility, but it is one which we must all come to assume.

April 29th

Resources


Use a mirror in difficult times:
You will see both cause and resolution.

When faced with adversity, you must ask whether you have done anything to bring misfortune upon yourself. If the present difficulties are the unforeseen outcome of events that you yourself set in motion, then it is necessary both to learn from your mistakes and to search for any possible way to correct it. If the difficulties are due to character flaws, then the situation should be resolved, and the basic fault must afterwards be eradicated.The wonderful part of all this is that the resources for resolving our problems are also within us. When we watch athletes in competition and they outperform even their own high standards, we often say that they reached deep down and were able to give something extraordinary. When we are in the midst of our own confrontations, we must be the same way. We need to reach deep within and use the utmost of our abilities to overcome our obstacles. This is one manifestation of our continuing efforts at self-development.
When confronted with problems, we have all the more power to respond. When we triumph, we have even more confidence and facility to handle future problems. Therefore, meet life head-on. Maintain your self-cultivation, move forth to confront difficulties, and accumulate the momentum that success will give you.

Personal Interpretation


The resources that we need to resolve conflict are often to be found within ourselves. It has been said that the keenest sorrow is to recognize that oneself is the source of all adversity, and yet, one is also the source of all resolution. When misfortune strikes, we must seek to ascertain our role in events. Have we done something to bring trouble upon us? Have we made a bad situation worse? Do we seem to get ourselves in similar situations time and time again? Character flaws can be corrected. This is not an easy task, but, as with anything else, bad habits can be excised. Good habits can fill their place. Once we have practiced a positive behavior instead of a negative one enough times it will take the latter's place. We must talk kindly to ourselves but also know when to be forceful. Let us all try to learn from our mistakes and move forward.

And in those situations where there really was nothing we could have done, let us look to our response to misfortune. Let us learn to bear the burden with humility. Perhaps it can also do us good to recognize the people and circumstances that define our lives. Are they conducive to growth or likely to lead to distress? We all face hardship, but there are usually things we can do to ride it out, correct it, or insure that it doesn't have such power over us in the future. Even as we despair, we can learn. And that makes the next lesson easier to bear.

April 28th

Guidance

Worship with your conscience,
Receive grace with humility.
Guide with awareness,
Lead with modesty.

The altar is a tool. If we kneel before it and say we have done wrong, we are really telling that to ourselves. If we give thanks for our good fortune, we are expressing our modest appreciation for good luck. There is no outside force listening to us. There is no divine retribution for our wickedness. The altar is merely symbolic. Those who follow Tao use it to focus their self-awareness.When we step away from the altar, we should not lose self-awareness. We should not take the fact that worship is symbolic to behave in immoral ways. Instead, we still have to act with a conscience and lead others without manipulating them or taking advantage of them.
It takes maturity to grasp that there are no gods and yet still behave as if there were. It takes insight to know that you must be your own disciplinarian. Only the wisest can lay down their own "divine laws" and find guidance as if they were truly heaven's word.

Personal Interpretation


Altars, prayer, and other artifacts and acts of supplication are tools, nothing more. The real trick is to live as if there were gods, to direct our conduct so that it reflects some higher wisdom. The ability to proceed in this fashion comes with spiritual maturity. We must learn to find ourselves when we are lost, comfort ourselves when we feel that the world has forsaken us, and guide ourselves when the path forward is anything but clear. When we are capable of doing these things, we will truly know what it means to live in the presence of Tao.

April 27th

Attraction


Peacock iridescence in veridical shadows,
Violet blooms spread to noonday sun.
The world's beauty is a swirl of color,
But in the flower's center is bright stillness.

This world is movement. Its nature is constant change, infinite variation. Without infinite variation, there would be stasis, for we would reach limits. But all limits are actually arbitrary. Life is one endless equation of darkness, brilliance, color, sound, fragrance, and sensation.The peacock attracts his mate through his plumage; the flower attracts the bee with its color and fragrance. Beauty is moved to madness, is urged toward more beauty, is lost in the dance of seduction. We hover around the petals of the flower, drunk in the thrill of color. Enthralled with the fragrance of some haunting perfume, we are moved to act, to touch, to fill our shallow vessels with the fullness of promised joy.
Yet in the center of the flower, all is stillness. When the dance of beauty is finished, culmination is at hand. In life, attractions are endless. We should do no more than we need to satisfy ourselves. To plunge further is foolhardy. We must remember to withdraw and look within. Lingering on the outside of our souls, there is shimmering beauty and fantastic movement. It is only when we go to the center of our souls that we are in the eye of the storm, the still-point of existence. Then all is brightness, energy condensed, unbearably strong and powerful, yet absorbed in supreme quietude.

Personal Interpretation

This world is filled with a million distractions. Beauty takes many forms-the setting sun, a particularly vivid flower, the buzz of life that so often fills the springtime air. And these marvels are mostly distractions. They thrill our senses. Their bright intensity speaks to the passionate. This kind of blinding beauty can deceive us, and, indeed,  can even lead us into madness. We can become encumbered more easily than we might like to admit. At the center of the flower all is quiet. And there is a beauty in that quietude too. We should seek it out when the world becomes too much for us.

April 26th

Fulfillment


Accomplish your visions.
Persevere in your ambitions.
Only then can you negate
Visions and ambitions.

Some say that one should not have ambitions; they equate these with greed and lust. However, some ambitions are the result of curiosity and inner desire. They are individual interests, like wanting to know about a certain subject or wanting to achieve goals. As long as they do no harm to others, they should be exercised rather than suppressed.Many young people are held back by their peers and their elders. Sometimes there are valid reasons, but usually the motivations of the others are colored by fear, ignorance, jealousy, or inadequacy. No one should hold you back from achieving your life's goals.
Whatever you want to do, do it to the fullest. There are just a few provisions. First, you must realize that nothing is forever. You may achieve your goals only to find out that they are no longer important to you. This is all right. That means you have come to the end of your interest and are now free to go on to something else. Secondly, your ambitions should not determine your life. You are a human being first, and your goals are merely adjuncts to your basic quest as a person. Finally, you should realize that the fulfillment of your goals should include the eradication of all fears. Once you have accomplished these things, you will truly have nothing standing between you and spiritual realization.

Personal Interpretation


Ambition is not to be feared. We must have goals in life and must work toward fulfilling them. Nothing lasts forever however, and we should not be surprised to sometimes find that the realization of our visions fails to bring us the satisfaction we anticipated feeling. There is often more satisfaction in the fulfillment of our goals than in reaching them. If we feel that the things we worked for have ceased to matter to us, we should not feel that our time or resources have been wasted. Rather, we should see our efforts as a necessary bend in the path and feel free to move on to other things. We are human beings first and our goals should be secondary to a realization of our innermost nature.  Every experience in this lifetime, every success and failure, leads us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our universe, and this is our primary purpose in this lifetime.

April 25th

Dominance


Sun shines in the center of the sky.
All things turn their faces toward the light.

All things in this life depend on direction. In our world, all is oriented toward the sun : The planets revolve around it, the seasons depend upon it, and our very concept of night and day is tied to the sun's rising and setting. The sun is the dominant element in our lives.In all other areas of our actions, we cannot avoid making arrangements that have a center or orientation. Our lives require composition, just as the solar system has a relationship and structure. Yet all structure and orientation is essentially arbitrary. We take the sun as the center of our world because of our vantage point. To someone standing in another galaxy, our sun is nothing more than another point in limitless space. There is no absolute standard by which to truly call something the center. Therefore, all arrangements and all compositions, all determinations of a dominant element are relative, subjective, and provisional.
There is no center except for that in our own consciousness. When we look at the sun and the arrangement of the planets, we must also include ourselves as observers. How else is there the determination of what is being seen? Consciousness is part of the phenomenon. We are the center, and there is no absolute measure.

Personal Interpretation


The sun dominates our lives because of our orientation. If we looked upon it from a remote galaxy, it would be no more than a pinprick of light in the sky and would have no effect on our lives. We can know no absolute truth. Our experience of reality is subjective. This notion may confuse the adherent who has been told to find the center. Can one exist if perspective determines all that is? Indeed, we should try to be centered in ourselves. The only true center for us is in our own consciousness.

April 24th

Faith


In spite of knowing,
Yet still believing.
Though no god above,
Yet god within.

There is no god in the sense of a cosmic father or mother who will provide all things to their children. Nor is there some heavenly bureaucracy to petition. These models are not descriptions of a divine order, but are projections from archetypal templates. If we believe in the divine as cosmic family, we relegate ourselves to perpetual adolescence. If we regard the divine as supreme government; we are forever victims of unfathomable officialdom.Yet it does not work for us to totally abandon faith. It does not follow that we can forego all belief in higher beings. We need faith, not because there are beings who will punish us or reward us, but because gods are wonderful ways of describing things that happen to us. They embody the highest aspects of human aspiration. Gods on the altars are essential metaphors for the human spiritual experience.
Faith shouldn't be shaken because bad things happen to us or because our loved ones are killed. Good and bad fortune are not in the hands of gods, so it is useless to blame them. Neither does faith need to be confirmed by some objective occurrence. Faith is self-affirming. If we maintain faith, then we have its reward. If we become better people, then our faith has results. It is we who create faith, and it is through our efforts that faith is validated.

Personal Interpretation


Our faith in the divine is an attempt to validate our human experiences. It originates with us. This is not to say that we should refrain from having faith. Indeed, it is important to believe in something larger than ourselves, important to strive to be more at every turn. We should concern ourselves less with notions of punishment and reward and more with the growth and affirmation of the self. If our faith can help us to lead better, more fulfilling lives, then it has not been in vain. It has served an invaluable purpose.

April 23rd

Acceptance



Drought burns basins to dust,
Light rain is a dew of mockery.
Receive without complaint,
Work with fate.

When the countryside is gripped in drought, it is useless to complain. Even when light rains fail to moisten the parched landscape, we should accept what happens. This is the way of Tao, and one who follows Tao accepts what comes.We may have ambitions to move in one direction, but Tao will decide otherwise. We may have plans for the future, but Tao will bend time differently. There are those who will cry out in anger and frustration, but the follower of Tao remains silent and goes about the business of preparation.
Acceptance does not mean fatalism. It does not mean capitulation to some slaughtering predestination. Those who follow Tao do not believe in being helpless. They believe in acting within the framework of circumstance. For example, in a drought, they will prepare by storing what water is available. That is sensible action. They will not plant a garden of flowers that requires a great deal of water. That is ignorance and egotism.
Acceptance is a dynamic act. It should not signal inertness, stagnation, or inactivity. One should simply ascertain what the situation requires and then implement what one thinks is best. As long as one's deeds are in accord with the time and one leaves no sloppy traces, then the action is correct.

Personal Interpretation

To act within the framework of Tao is to act in accordance with the circumstances of our lives. We must take what we can get, and must prepare to make the most of all things. It is futile to despair because things don't go as planned. We can be accepting of a plight and still act to correct it, but any action requires an admission of what stands before us. Nature gives and Nature takes away. This is just one of the many cycles of being, and if we are to be successful, we must acknowledge this cycle and do our best to operate within its confines.

April 22nd

Nonanticipation


Put forth your effort
With no thought of gain.

One should not pray or meditate with any thought of gain. Hold no expectations. Then the rewards will come. If one strives for power and gifts, no true results will come, and one will become lost in lust. Praying for results brings no results -- the true spirit appears only when there are no expectations to hamper it.Books and teachings talk of the results of meditation because they prepare the aspirant for the experiences that will occur. It is important not to look on these writings as advertisements. They are merely descriptions of what you will encounter.
Sit down with no thought of results and you will go naturally and spontaneously with Tao. It is admittedly a paradox. We are to know what to expect, and yet we should allow them to appear as they will. It seems irrational and inefficient. Yet if you would know Tao, there is no faster way to enter the midstream.

Personal Interpretation

Although it seems irrational, we should try to refrain from fostering expectations of reward in life. If we do not seek, we will find, but if we seek, we will be disappointed by what we manage to gain. There is such a thing as trying too hard. Tao is the natural flow of energy in the Universe, and its current will take us where we need to go. We must trust it. This does not mean that we sit idly back and let life pass us by. Rather, it means that we learn when we observe and when to act and act with an understanding that our motivation in so doing should not be the promise of reward or the gaining of some specific asset.

April 21st

Tradition


Tradition was once function.
But today there is no tradition.
Where is there a true path?

In the past, people didn't question the teachings of Tao. There was a living tradition, and if one followed it, one could reasonably expect to walk a good path. But today the traditional teachings of Tao have been dimmed by civil wars, political persecution, and the death of masters. Wealth and technology hold the attention of most people, and few have time for Tao. Adopting arcane methods will not lead to success.We must discover Tao for ourselves. Seeking it in the here and now means fulfilling the spirit of tradition instead of merely copying it. How can we ape the past? The old ways are gone.
Tao means different things to different people in different times. Indeed, we might say that the Tao of today leads in unprecedented directions. We have to adapt, but being contemporary should not be an excuse for adulteration and shortcuts. Once we find the true path of today, we must walk it with the same determination as the ancients.

Personal Interpretation


We must seek to exemplify the spirit of tradition in our lives. This does not mean that we must live and behave as ancient practitioners of Tao. We must interpret Tao for ourselves, allow it to take on new life in this world in which we live. We must work to insure that Tao is not divorced from our day to day activities. It should be the source of inspiration for all that we do. This is a greater challenge in a world in which distractions abound.

April 20th

Invocation


Invocation becomes declaration;
Worship becomes recognition.
When blessings mature,
One glimpses the source.

When one is young in Tao, all practices begin as external procedures. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand their significance -- we don't know what to expect. This is proper : Not daring to interfere with growth and discovery, those who follow Tao hesitate to go beyond technical instruction.Take worship, for example. At first, an invocation is something external. You repeat it, but really, it means very little. You kneel down at the altar because you need something on which to focus. Once you realize that the true Tao is to be found within yourself, you shift your attention. Then worship becomes recognition. Your own spirit arises, and you learn to tap into it on your own. If someone had told you what to look for, you might never be sure of your experiences. What comes from outer suggestion is not the true Tao.
Glimpsing the source leaves no doubts.

Personal Interpretation


Practice is important in the beginning, but with time, the truth we feel when conducting our various rituals can be internalized. This does  not invalidate our conducting said rituals. We are a million different people in our lives. Progress is a beautiful thing. We cannot be told that we should believe a certain way or that we ought to hold to a certain faith. We must learn it on our own, or, conversely, come to accept that what is true for others may not be true for ourselves. We imbue our acts with meaning. In time, the meaning remains even when the act to which it is attached is taken away. This is the way of things. It is how children learn, and how we, as children of the Universe should view our relationship with all that is.

April 19th

Fundamentals


After completion
Come new beginnings.
To gain strength,
Renew the root.

In music, the fundamental tone is the lowest, or root, tone of a chord. Without its presence, no true character is established. Our actions in life are as similarly varied and complex as music. Without a thorough grounding, there is no harmony.Followers of Tao emphasize cycles. This must include a sound understanding of what to do whenever a cycle comes to an end. New ones will begin : Some of them will be engendered by the old one, others may simply be in the background and will now come forward. If we are to properly shape these new movements and if we are to prevent unwanted cycles from beginning, we must take stock and renew our basis in the fundamentals.
Everyone wants to be daring, creative, and original. Everyone wants to do things in new ways. But unless we return over and over again to the basics, we will have no chance to truly soar. Do not forget the root. Without it, we can never issue forth true power.

Personal Interpretation


 Cycles are always beginning and ending. It is the nature of life. There are those things we cannot control, the seasons for instance. The wise know how to adapt to those forces that are beyond their ability to manipulate, and they know what to do when something comes to an end. They recognize that there are things that they can influence, and that these things must be their focus in life. It is the serenity prayer: the wisdom to change the things that cannot be accepted, accept the things that cannot be changed, and know when to do one over the other.

When we start anew, we must remember the basics. If we have no foundation, we will never truly soar. Originality itself originates in the established. The eagle flies, but it is also have a nest to come back to. Returning is essential. If we create a foundation in Tao, we can rest assured that even if our ventures fail, there is a warm and soothing place where we can regroup.

April 18th

Numbers


One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three,
Three gives birth to the ten thousand.
One hundred and eight counts make one cycle,
Constant turning creates all things.

Today is the one hundred and eighth day. Why are numbers so important to those who follow Tao? Even today, when numbers are more commonly yoked to the service of finance and engineering, there are those who revere numbers with the cheap version of mysticism -- superstition. Numbers form a closed world with mysteries to explore and exploit if our understanding is deep enough.Followers of Tao emphasize certain numbers : One is the unity of Tao. Two is duality. Three is the unevenness that will generate movement. Four is the seasons. Five elements generate the world. Six parts of the body are the arms, legs, head, and trunk. Seven is the day of the waxing moon by the lunar calendar. Eight is the number of divination. Nine is the number of life. Ten is heaven's cycles.
There are twenty-four periods in a year, each with its own characteristics. Thirty-six is six squared. One hundred and eight is three cycles of thirty-six and represents a greater cycle, although there are even more esoteric connotations attached to it.
Numbers are only symbols, a way for human beings to project order upon the universe. They are a language more precise than words. But does Tao talk? Numbers are important to master, but take care to look beyond language and numbers to the true reality that they foreshadow.

Personal Interpretation

Numbers are more precise than words. They can communicate truths more efficiently. There isn't a number barrier the way there is a language barrier. Once the language of numerals is learned, it can be applied to a wide range of situations. Numbers often come to be linked with spiritual concepts. Taoism emphasizes the importance of certain number. Each presents a way of envisioning one of the fundamental truths of the Universe. One is the unity of all things. Two is the duality that defines all that is. Four is the number of repeating seasons. Five is the number of elements which shape our world.

In the end, we care less for the numbers than what they represent, and that's the important thing to remember. Numbers are not to be revered for their own sake. They provide a glimpse into that which is worthy of our notice.

Some have a superstitious relationship with numbers. Think of the stigma associated with Friday the 13th if you need an example of this tendency. Superstition has no place in the study of Tao. It keeps us ignorant and frightened rather than expanding our worldview. Symbols like numbers can have import for us, if we can look beyond them.

April 17th

Withdrawal


Activity is essential, but exhausting,
And its importance is only on the surface.
Withdraw into Tao at the end of the day.
Returning is renewal.

Each day is filled with activity. We rush around from meeting to meeting; we make all sorts of arrangements for the future. Such doings are important, but they are not all that there is in life. Even as we engage in them, we must remember that all human endeavors are temporary and provisional.We cannot allow our accomplishments to divorce us from what is actually happening in the world. It is imperative that we withdraw to reflect upon the day's events and collect ourselves for the continuation of our path. There is no need to go to a temple, a sacred spot, or a special room. We do not need elaborate ritual. All we need is a simple and natural turning within.
This is why followers of Tao always use the word 'returning.' They recognize the necessity of activity in life, but they also recognize the need to return to Tao. In Tao is the source of all things, and in the source one finds the renewal that one needs to go on with life. This back-and-forth movement between the source and the activity of life is the movement of all things.

Personal Interpretation


There is importance in our daily activities and in our gradual progress in this world, but there is also importance in the realization that rest is essential. We must make time to return to the source of all things at the end of each and every day. There is no need to visit any particular holy place or conduct elaborate rituals. To return is to turn within, as the source lies within us all. The daily act of returning will rejuvenate us and prepare us for what the next day has in store for us.

April 16th

Carefree


Two ducks nestled in lake-side grass.
Both marked by the same brilliant purple at the wing.
Water provides food, bath, and play,
What need do they have for scholarship?

Animals need no schooling. They are perfect, without any need for long instruction. They know what to do by instinct and example. Tao is always there for them. It sustains them and nurtures them. There is no need for them to be specially aware of Tao or to study it : They have no rational consciousness to separate them from Tao.It is only humanity that constantly divorces itself from Tao. We therefore need methods of reintegration. If we could go beyond the interfering sense of the self, then we would know Tao in as constant and carefree a manner as ducks.
"Forget learning," say those who follow Tao, but what they don't append is that you must first have learning before you can forget it. If you would be unencumbered by the weight of knowledge, then you must return to a state of deep intuitiveness. This is not the same as mere selfish behavior -- just doing what you feel like doing -- because your actions are likely to be dictated more by lusts, obsessions, compulsions, and habits than anything natural. Only through the clarification of spiritual training will you reach the ground of deep intuition and the freedom that it affords.

Personal Interpretation

Our learning divorces us from Tao, and so we need ways of reintegrating with it. The cultivation of spirituality is meant to tame our baser desires and let our truest self shine. That self will live in accordance with the principles of Tao. It will live a life that is natural and free of lasting care. It will be a life that accepts what comes and lives most of all in the moment, where all action takes place. We should reflect upon the beauty of animals in our surroundings. They symbolize what we must seek to become. Ducks sit upon the water, eat their fill, use their instincts to avoid predators, reproduce, take life as it comes. Perhaps we would do well to seek to be more like them.

April 15th

Compassion


Once you've seen the face of god,
You see that same face on everyone you meet.

The true god has no face. The true Tao has no name. But we cannot identify with that until we are of a very high level of insight. Until then, the gods with faces and the Tao with names are still more worthy of veneration and study than the illusions of the world.With long and sincere training, it is possible to see the face of god. Holiness is not about scientific objectivity. It is about a deep and clear recognition of the true nature of life. Your attitude toward your god will be different than anyone else's god -- divinity is a reflection of your own understanding. If you experience differs from others, that does not invalidate your sense of godliness. You will have no doubts after you have seen.
Knowing god is the source of compassion in our lives. We realize that our separation from others is artificial. We are neither separate from other people nor from Tao. It is only our own egotism that leads us to define ourselves as individuals. In fact, a direct experience of god is a direct experience of the utter universality of life. If we allow it to change our way of thinking, we will understand our essential oneness with all things.
How does god look? Once you see god, you will see that same face on every person you meet.

Personal Interpretation


To recognize the true  nature of life and of ourselves is to connect with the Divine. The spiritualities we hold to determine our worldview, define our perspective, color our outlook. Likewise, what we hold to be true is influenced by what we experience in this world. There is always that which cannot be directly experienced with the senses, and we should bear this in mind. These things can still be known by opening that part of ourselves which lies dormant. That takes patience and careful cultivation. The true face of God is that which we assign. We believe what makes the most sense for us. That perspective can change as we gain deeper insight.

In the end, we are not independent, but part of a cohesive whole. It is a worldview that encourages compassion. Sometimes the foundation of belief must come first if we are to break free from the cycle of egotism that too often comes to define us as a species.

April 14th

Readiness


A knife keeps its edge
Only with honing and proper cutting.
A warrior's virtue is readiness.
A sage's virtue is awareness.

This life is so competitive and challenging that one must remain in constant readiness for the problems and conflicts that come with each day. That is why followers of Tao meld the way of the warrior and the sage. They want the courage and preparedness of the fighter, the luminous perception of the wise. Each day, they dedicate themselves to maintaining their characters and perpetuating their development. But how does one maintain one's edge without blunting?There is a fable about a king who was watching his butcher. He was amazed that the man could dismember a whole ox without much effort and without dulling his knife. Seeking to learn, the king questioned his servant, who said that his secret was to insert his knife only in the spaces between muscles, thus parting the body along its natural lines. In this way, where an ordinary butcher had to grind his blade daily, he only had to sharpen his knife once a year.
From this we can learn that we must first hone ourselves to a sharp edge, but the proper use of our talents is equally essential. We must remember to take action along the basic lines and seams of the day. If we do this, we can never be opposed for long.

Personal Interpretation

 We should work to blend the ways of the warrior and sage, cultivating preparedness and wisdom in our characters. Once we have sharpened ourselves sufficiently, we must then learn to apply ourselves properly. Life is not easy. The world is full of pitfalls, and we must do what we can to be ready for them so that we can respond accordingly. As the butcher keeps his knife's edge by cutting meat along the natural lines of the flesh. so too must our action take place along the natural lines of things.We must seek out the middle, be content with what is, but also employ ourselves to make the most of the current running through everything, that which we call Tao.

April 13th

Reciprocity

Hands grasp, but also give.
Mouth tastes, but also speaks.
Nose breathes, but also smells.
Eyes see, but also show.
Ears hear, but also balance.

The hands teach us not to be selfish.
The mouth teaches us to give thanks in word and song.
The nose teaches us to learn from our environment.
The eyes teach us to show compassion and sincerity.All parts of ourselves both give and receive. They function on a principle of reciprocity inherent in their very character. If our senses are so noble, shouldn't we be as well?
The eyes of a dedicated person show an inner fortitude and charisma that the eyes of the ordinary do not. Scientifically, we know that an eye is an eye, a mere organ, yet experientially we know that the eyes are virtual windows to the soul. For us to achieve similar depth of character, we must live according to the inherent nobility of our natures. Each one of our senses is not simply an information-gathering faculty but is a channel of expression as well.

Personal Interpretation


 As we receive, so should we also seek to give. Reciprocity is the foundation of the Universe and we should strive to make it a part of our own natures as well. It is all too tempting to take, withhold, think only of what life can offer us, how we can gain. Acquiring will never make us happy though. Giving must also be a part of the equation. In fact, expressing ourselves, giving of ourselves to the world, looking at how our faculties can be used to benefit the Universe and all who inhabit it is the surest way to come to feel as if we have been given something momentous ourselves.

April 12th

Awareness


Outer eyes
Cannot see themselves.
The inner eye
Is its own reflection

When we look we can see many things, but the eyes cannot see themselves without the help of a mirror. We are not used to introspection. Although the followers of Tao say to look within to gain self-awareness, we will be confused if we use the attitudes formed by looking with our eyes.That is why it is important to make a clear distinction early on. Do not try to understand yourself with the attitudes of physical seeing. Look within using inner vision.
For centuries, people of many different cultures have referred to the "mind's eye," or the "inner eye," or the "third eye." These are all indications that there is a separate way of looking within. In meditation, it is important to discover and utilize this mode of introspection. We must go beyond thought, go beyond visualization, go beyond imagination and actually open a part of the mind that most people leave dormant. This inner eye has a location, buried deep in the brain. When it is opened, it is our way of receiving more subtle experiences than we receive in our physical states. Perhaps looking and seeing are misleading terms, after all. We don't necessarily "see" images through this inner eye : We gain direct awareness that is beyond the image.

Personal Interpretation


Our eyes can deceive us, and we should be wary when trusting the information that they relay back to us. Instead, we should seek to know the world through the Inner Eye, that mode of seeing buried in a deep part of the brain that, for most, remains dormant. When we access the Inner Eye, we gain a direct awareness that our senses are incapable of giving us. We see beyond the facade and come to know the Divine.

April 11th

Concentration


Imagination, song, the soaring spirit.
Separate them to know them as aspects of the whole,
Join them to know the mystery of totality.

The mind, if focused, can become the most powerful force we know. Yet for most of us, we are lost in the vastness of our own uncharted minds. We play around with different aspects, find certain modes that we can get by with, and leave the rest unexplored. Those who follow Tao do not do this. They want to explore all the dimensions of the mind so that they may find a wholly integral mode of consciousness.The primary means of exploration is through concentration of the mind. Practitioners first select an aspect and delve into it by daily focus. Only when they have fully understood do they go on. It is like studying. When you are first introduced to a subject, you must put your attention to work in order to master the knowledge. Such concentration leads to absorption, like mixing liquids together in a bottle : Once they are combined, they cannot be distinguished from one another.
With concentration, all the various aspects of the mind can be joined together into one superconscious mode. Sound is the same as sight, taste is the same as smell, touch is the same as thought, and all that we are is identical with the spiritual energy that resides within us. In this high concentration, there is complete union, and we feel the joy of total integration with all our facets.

Personal Interpretation


 We must seek to fully explore all aspects of ourselves. We must learn to truly know ourselves. In the interest of accomplishing this, it is best to separate each facet of the mind, view it separately, come to understand it as wholly as possible. In the end, we our learning will become so ingrained that we will cease to think of any part of ourselves as separate. With time we can even stop thinking of ourselves as separate. We are indistinguishable from the rest of the Universe. We are merely a manifestation of energy and consciousness. We might expect this realization to make us feel small. On the contrary, it has the potential to make us feel truly great, has the potential to connect us to the Divine.

April 10th

Imagination


Imagination is pale and fragile,
Dreams grip with a false reality.
Imagination can build bridges,
Dreams can deceive.

When we dream, the experience is often deeply involving. Frightening dreams make us awake trembling and sweating. Pleasurable dreams leave us with lingering desires. Certain dreams are a form of healing, a way for our minds to recircuit and adjust themselves. No matter what, these dreams have no objective reality in our waking world.Imagination is also a form of mental involvement. It is a way of projecting our thoughts into believable images to be contemplated and manipulated. We can play with our imagination, use it to inspire creative projects.
Both imagination and dreams are similar activities of the mind, and yet they differ in the level of conscious participation that they permit. In the case of the dream, there is a total suspension of rationality and consciousness, so there is little or no direction possible. There is no mode of control. By contrast, imagination is a tool through which we can make our lives better, different, and creative. By cooperating with it, we can achieve things that "we never dreamed possible."

Personal Interpretation


Imagination is not the same as dreaming. While both activities often involve a suspension of disbelief, imagination is a conscious process, while dreaming occurs in the subconscious realms of our minds and is mostly out of our control. Imagination is a creative process that can be used to better ourselves and our world. It can also be a safe place to retreat to when the world gets to be too much.  We should all try to foster a healthy imagination.

April 9th

Homecoming


Where was Tao while I was gone?
Wasn't I following it where I went?
Do you think that there are two?

After traveling awhile, we come home to a familiar place, only we often look at it in a new light. Were things different while we weren't here? We experienced so many new and different things while we were gone -- wasn't that Tao too? How can there be so many differences?You might argue that a mountain is a mountain, but our attitudes toward it are changeable. If we mistake our subjective viewpoints as something that is solid, permanent, and never relative to circumstances, then we will have no end to our problems. However, if we always remember that everything is comparative, then we can move through life in a much more dynamic way.
There are not two ways. There is only one. It is so vast that we can experience widely diverging aspects of it and imagine that we are in different realities. This is a misconception. We cannot outrun Tao, cannot be outside of it. It is only our viewpoints that change to the degree that we think we are in differing dimensions. In the river of Tao, we are like minnows that can never plumb the length and breadth of the water.

Personal Interpretation


Perception defines reality. Experience can cause us to look at the same thing differently. We have not known two realities. In truth, there is only one reality and it can only be glimpsed through the  lens of our senses, which can deceive us or show us different facets of the same object or experience. Our means of seeing and interacting with what is is inherently flawed, but it is what we have. We must make the most of our humanity. Perhaps the best we can do is recognize that perception defines our view of all that is, and that perception will necessarily change as we encounter and experience more of the world.

April 8th

Farewell



We part at the crossroads,
You leave with your joys and problems,
I with mine. Alone, I look down the road.
Each one must walk one's own path.

People's paths come together all too briefly when sharing friendship, but that makes those times no less valuable. We must take advantage of support and sharing in a mutually beneficial way. Whenever we take from another, we should try to give back something. This is fundamental. No one should lean on another person, or expect another to carry them a long distance down the road. Friends should walk side by side for as long as their journey carries them, without becoming dependent on one another.There should be no obligation. If I can help someone do something, then I should do so without any hesitation or expectation of reward or debt. If there is something that I need to learn and my companion can show it to me, then I should accept it in humility. No one "owns" knowledge. It should be freely shared.
Parting is inherent in all meeting. Nothing lasts forever. Transience is what gives life poignancy. Every person is responsible for himself or herself. There is no road to walk but your own

Personal Interpretation


We must each walk our own road in life, but this does not invalidate companionship. It can bring joy to our days to share our path with  others who understand us in ways we may not even understand ourselves. Parting is inherent in every meeting though. No one will stay in our life forever. We should acknowledge this while also making the most of those who walk beside us.

We must not lean on loved ones, nor allow them to lean too much on us. We must comfort and encourage, soothe and express faith in our companions. We must teach and be willing to accept the lessons that are offered to us. In the end though, we must carry our own weight in this world. We must come to recognize our own strength.

April 7th

Encouragement


One thousand miles from home,
I open the same prayer book.
Some nights it was only obligation;
Tonight, it is comfort.

It's best to be patient and persevering. Devotion may sometimes seem to be pure drudgery. Away from home, it's possible to gain a new outlook. Taken from its usual context, our commitment can stand out all the more brilliantly. Something that may have become like a bit and bridle may now be warm and comforting. That is why one should master one's emotions, and use discipline to even out the ups and downs of impulse.When traveling, we are away from our usual surroundings, including those elements that suppress and restrict us. Nearly all of us have fears, frustrations, and inhibitions that we have acquired in the past; time and distance help us to assess them more clearly. To overcome them takes courage and initiative. How can we do it if our very problem is fear and timidity? That is when we need a friend to help and encourage us. They can give us the guidance and support to face our fears. Although they can neither live our lives nor solve our problems outright, they can provide an invaluable presence just when we most need it.
Within ourselves, our daily devotions are the way to encourage ourselves to persevere. With others, encouragement is the way to be compassionate.

Personal Interpretation

We all struggle from time to time. This is why we must work to support and encourage one another on the path of life. We must also seek to understand our own reservations and fears. Understanding can be the key to wisdom. Travel is one way of increasing our wisdom. When we are no longer surrounded by the familiar, we are forced to look at ourselves and our world in a different way. We will have ups and downs, but in the end we must strive to know ourselves and persevere over the forces that seek to undo us.

April 6th

Constancy



Clear sunlight on falling snow: fire and ice.
Bare-boned trees stark to the horizon,
Cold marshes, havens to ducks and geese.
A groundhog sits motionless on a post.

Wherever we are, the constant flow of Tao is ever present. We see the cycle of opposites, such as the juxtaposition of sunlight and snow. We notice the ongoing rhythms of life : waterfowl carrying on their lives even as spring is slow to warm and leafless trees stand in anticipation of warmer weather. All things change, all things move constantly. The world is like the ongoing turning of a magnificent wheel. All things come in their own time.Just as a groundhog sits motionless in the moving of the seasons, so too should we look within and slowly absorb the time. Within all the movement, the groundhog takes time to be still. Within all the changing of spring, we must take time to notice the constancy of inner devotion.
No matter how much is going on outside of oneself, one still reaffirms what is in one's heart, taking comfort in the regular pulse. What works in the shelter of home or temple works everywhere. Only when we know such constancy will we know that our quest is succeeding.

Personal Interpretation

 The world is constantly moving, time is constantly flowing. We too must be constant, most of all in our cultivation of spirit. Although we may often feel that we need to seek out the quiet solace of a closed-off room in order to feel peace, this need not be so. Indeed, most of our lives will not be spent in such places of refuge. Instead, we must build a room all our own and situate it within ourselves. Then, we will be able to contemplate, find peace, and connect with the universe even when the outside world seems in disarray.

April 5th

Travel


Body is the tabernacle.
Traveling one thousand miles,
The gods are still in place.

The body is the temple of the gods. It should be kept clean and pure, so that the holiest of events can take place. Sacred, it should be kept undefiled. Consecrated, its interior is where the deepest questions are explored.In olden times, the devout carried tabernacles so that they could keep up their devotions when far from their homes. Their gods were inside these boxes, protected and treasured. Followers of Tao believe that the gods are within themselves. Therefore, wherever they go, they carry the gods within them.
During their travels, when they come to a resting place, they open not a receptacle but themselves. They carry their sense of "place" within themselves. Even while sojourning, they remain oriented to their inner sacredness. Perhaps they can even make breakthroughs more quickly, for the preoccupations of the mind are no longer present to interfere with the flow of the divine. Once people connect to their inner strength, there is no end to the wonders of travel.

Personal Interpretation

 We carry the divine within ourselves. Thus, there is no need to visit temples and other holy places. There is no need to make a pilgrimage to worship some remote deity. The act of travel though, presents us with other points of view, broadens our perspective, increases our knowledge of the world of which we are a part. The divine within us will strengthen us, prepare us to receive the wisdom that the act of traveling can impart. We were meant to be mobile, not to rest in one place. When we let the truth of Tao take root in our lives, we will never be rootless, for we carry the wonder of the divine around with us wherever we go.

April 4th

Practice

Spiritual success is gained by daily cultivation.
If you practiced for the day, then you have won.
If you were lazy for the day, then you have lost.

Self-cultivation is the heart of spiritual attainment. Gaining insight and ability is not a matter of grand statements, dramatic initiations, or sporadic moments of enlightenment. Those things are only highlights in a life of consistent activity.Whatever system of spirituality you practice, do it every day. If it is prayer, then pray every day. If it is meditation, then meditate every day. If it is exercise, then exercise every day. Only then will you be able to say that you are truly practicing spirituality.
This methodical approach is reassuring in several ways. First, it provides you with a process and a means to maintain progress even if that particular day is not inspiring or significant. Just to practice is already good. Secondly, it gives you a certain faith. If you practice every day, it is inevitable that you will gain from it. Thirdly, constant practice gives you a certain satisfaction. How can you say to yourself that you have truly entered a spiritual path unless you can look back on years of daily practice and take comfort in the momentum that it has given you?

Personal Interpretation

Daily practice is more meaningful than the rare moments of enlightenment we receive on the path of life. If we work to cultivate our spiritual selves each and every day, in whatever way seems best to us, we will create a certain momentum. In time, motivation will come more naturally. We will have days when practice comes more easily and days when it seems to drain us, but ultimately, the efforts we make will pay off. We will one day find ourselves in the position of being able to reflect on the lives we have lived and smile know that each day was a step taken in the right direction, whether it felt that way at the time or not.

April 3rd

Confidence


Truth perceived gives assurance.
Skill yields self-reliance.
With courage, we can defy danger.
To increase power, increase humility.

Through constant contemplation, we can arrive at the truth. The more experienced we are, the more thorough our understanding, and thus the more we can come to rely on our knowledge. When we exercise what we know, it not only extends our understanding of the truth but helps us take action in meaningful ways. The more we do, the more self-reliant we are.Every achievement brings a wonderful dividend of confidence. We try greater and greater ventures, until we are brave enough to accomplish undertakings far beyond what the average person imagines. When we reach that level of consummate skill, it is a time of both celebration and extreme caution. We are justified to rejoice, for this is the level of ability that we have been striving so long and hard to attain. It is also the time for caution because the foolish will eventually try something too great for them to handle. Pride and passion will lead to their downfall.
Therefore, the more accomplished one becomes, the more circumspect one should be. The higher one's skills, the more precarious one's road. The most powerful followers of Tao are also among the most humble. By veiling their light until the proper moments, they escape the greatest danger of all : hubris.

Personal Interpretation

It is good to seek to become self-reliant. With time we can grow more skillful in the areas that matter most to us. This process will instill the very confidence that will enable us to attempt yet greater feats. We can come to rely less on others, can drive the ship of our lives, can avoid seeing ourselves as nothing more than victims of fate.  It is not enough simply to hone our skills however. We must know when and how to use them, and while it is good to be confident, we should be wary of hubris. The higher we climb, the greater the fall. The most powerful practitioners of Tao seem humble to our eyes not because they recognize their powerlessness, but because they have learned the art of knowing when to wait, poised to strike, and when to leap into action.

April 2nd

Accuracy


Make every move count.
Pick your target and hit it.
Perfect concentration means
Effortless flowing.

A life that is spiritual requires focused action. It needs quick reflexes, accurate timing, and abundant skill. That is why followers of Tao are always compounding their self-cultivation : They want the ability to do whatever they want.Each day your life grows a day shorter. Make every move count. All that matters is accomplishing what you envision with the greatest dispatch. Once you do, that aspect of your interest is discharged, and you can then go on to some new interest. If you do not engage in this ongoing process of action, you will never satisfy all the various aspects of the soul, and realization will never fully mature for you.
Some assert that there is no end to desire, so we should undercut our ambition. But this doesn't address the need for satisfaction. We need to have satisfaction in what we do in order to have a good sense of well-being. If we undercut our ambition, then we will never make any achievements nor satisfy our yearnings. This only leaves us with frustration, uncertainty, and timidity. Therefore, to follow Tao, we must identify our inner longings and dispatch them with a hunter's accuracy.

Personal Interpretation


There is no end to desire, but this is not a reason to stop pursuing our interests. We must gain some sense of satisfaction from life, or it will not seem worth living. We are only here on this earth for a limited amount of time. We must make every moment count, pursuing those things which do the most to grant us peace and understanding. We must also strive for accuracy in all that we do, acknowledging the targets of our passions and aiming for the goals we set for ourselves. We can't allow ourselves to be distracted, but should we feel an inner urging to pursue a different path, we should listen. Longing will undo us if it goes unchecked. To some extent it must be satisfied, but neither should our lives be at the mercy of our often capricious feelings and motivations. We must find the balance between pursuing our humanly desires and seeking to see beyond the mortal coil.

April 1st

Funeral

Hearse of weathered black enamel,
Undertakers fingering cigarettes.
Family, some crying, some bored,
Some only thinking of themselves.
Hired marching band out of tune.
Even in death we find no accord.

If you look closely at a dead person, can you truly see a soul? Is there anything left of the person that you knew? No. There is only a corpse, one that doesn't even look familiar; whatever animates people is gone. Have they flown to heaven? Have they gone into some cycle of transmigration? I don't know. Theories about what happens after death can only be conjecture.A funeral is for those left behind. It is a ritual for us to come to grips with what has happened. Sometimes, one wonders if the weeping is more out of fear for ourselves than it is sympathy for the deceased.
All our lives, we seek union. We try to please our parents, we try to do well for our teachers and society, we try to make love and get married, we try to touch the universal through art, music, and meditation. Yet all our lives, our every attempt is flawed. Accord and harmony are transitory states. Their duration and quality come only from our determination. Once our mind gives way, we can no longer hold the connections that we want.
Don't wait for death to solve your difficulties. Do what you must while you are alive.

Personal Interpretation


Eventually, death comes for us all. The process of mourning is a difficult one, particularly when the deceased was one of our dearest companions in life. When we look at a corpse, we may have difficulty recognizing the person we lost. Whatever animated them is gone. We don't know what waits for us after death. We should allow ourselves time to mourn, but we must also make every attempt to live our lives while we still can. The funeral is for those left behind; it is a ritual that is meant to instill a sense of peace, closure. Let us do all that we can in life. Those we leave behind will honor our memories, but while we still draw breath, we are more than memory. We are substance. And we must make every effort to leave our mark on the world.