February 22nd

Imbalance


Sleepless nights.
Diet, mind, conditions
Hold the possibility of correction.

Whenever you feel out of sorts, or cannot sleep, or find it hard to work and think, you are separated from Tao. If you want to get back in touch with it, ask yourself three questions : Am I eating right? Is my mind tamed? Is my world safe?It is not facetious to look at the way you eat whenever you feel out of step with life. Many problems can be alleviated by feeling better physically, and even if this doesn't remedy things, it will give you a good basis for coping. Eat a balanced diet rich in nutrients. Take the time to understand proper nutrition and eat a large variety of foods according to the seasons. The skillful use of foods is far superior to medicine.
Next is the difficult mind that seems to have its own interests, habits, and excesses. The only way to counter this is to guard against worry, stress, intellectualism, scheming, and desires. This can only happen through a strong philosophical grounding and by methodical meditation.
Finally, environmental factors such as weather, natural and man-made disasters, and socioeconomic problems can break our unity with Tao. To cope with this, gain as much control over your environment as possible. Keep your home a haven, have control over your work place, and be independent enough to face emergencies. It is inevitable that one will fall in and out of Tao. The wise arrange their lives so that they can always return to balance.

Personal Interpretation


We will inevitably find ourselves disconnected from Tao from time to time, but we must always strive to find our way back. We can do this in a number of ways. We must be mindful about the forces at play that cause the disconnect. It is good to pay attention to what we're putting into our bodies, and also to what we are allowing to enter into our lives. We must try to live simply, minimize stress, and fuel our bodies with nutritious foods. We must learn our weaknesses and work to exorcise them. Environment has a role to play in making us feel more at peace too. Home should be haven. We should try to gain control over our respective environments, to the extent that this is possible. If we seek simplicity, meditate, and eat a healthful diet, we can rebalance ourselves. It is not an easy task, but it is one that must be undertaken.