May 8th

Limits


Every river has its banks,
Every ocean has its shores.

Constant expansion is not possible. Everything reaches its limits and the wise always try to identify these limits. In the environment, they do not willfully expand civilization at the expense of natural wilderness. In economics, they do not spend beyond the market. In personal relationships, they do not demand more than others can fairly give. In exercise, they do not strain beyond their capacities. In health, they do not go beyond the limits of their age. With such attitudes, the wise can even exploit what others think to be barriers.When one senses that one has come to the limits of the time and situation, one should conserve one's energy. Often, this will be in preparation for a challenge to the limits, or a changing over to a new set of constraints. Whenever one comes upon the circumference, it is best to consider carefully and marshal one's resources before crossing the line. There is always uncertainty, and we must be wary.
We can also utilize limits for our own purposes. We can trap someone because we know of the limits ahead. Defense is possible by utilizing given limits, as a wall protects our backs in a fight. Work is easier when we know that we will be working for a limited time. We can take advantage of opportunities because we know that they are only there for the moment. Limitations should not always be seen as negative constraints. They are the geography of our situation, and it is only right to take advantage of this.

Personal Interpretation

Everything has its limits. We should not encroach upon nature, nor demand more than our loved ones can give, nor push our bodies to achieve feats that are beyond their ability. Limits define our world. When we reach them, we should conserve our strength for whatever comes next. Sometimes, with enough time and energy, we can defy the limits that are set before us. Sometimes we will move on to something else. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the more of an advantage we will have over people that would thwart our efforts and situations that would defeat us. Limits also give value to things. We take advantage of opportunities because we know they won't be available to us forever. We may come to recognize that there is only so much abuse we can take in a relationship before we are forced to move on (an act which can liberate us in unexpected ways and enable us to look after our own needs). Limits serve the greater good, force us to live within our means, help us channel our energies effectively. It is true wisdom to know when to be hemmed in by limits and when to defy them. Before we can do either, we must learn to live within them.

May 6th

Metaphor

Spirituality is
Applied poetry.
Metaphysics is
Applied metaphor.

All the methods that we have for knowing Tao came from observing the outside world and then applying it to the human dilemma. In the past, the body was seen as a microcosm of the universe, spiritual energy was compared to the sun, the duality of the body was matched to the duality of day and night, the habits of animals were copied for their innate wisdom, and the psychic centers of the body were imagined as opening flowers. Even if we apply these ideas today, they yield results.Metaphor is essentially a way to shape thoughts. The insights of poetry can often guide us out of our problems; the imagery of an opening flower is often used in meditation. Yet poetry is only a sensation of the mind and there is no opening flower inside of us. Human beings take objective reality and absorb it partially through a poetry of the mind. Without this, there could be no sense of humor, no creativity, and no spirituality. For until we make the connection between all things, we have no way out of the isolation that often infects us.

Personal Interpretation


When in doubt we have always looked to Nature for the answers. It is a practice that continues today. The psychic centers of the body are envisioned as opening flowers, the sun as the symbol for the spiritual energy that fills our forms. Poetry is the result of Nature's impact upon our minds and hearts, and our imagining of reality is often poetic. None of us see the same world, not entirely. Rather, the way in which we interact with our world and the correlations we create in our quest for understanding determine reality for each of us. To be otherwise is to be isolated, and that does not seem to be in our natures.

May 5th

Resolve


Banish uncertainty.
Affirm strength.
Hold resolve.
Expect death.

Make your stand today. On this spot. On this day. Make your actions count; do not falter in your determination to fulfill your destiny. Don't follow the destiny outlined in some mystical book : Create your own.Your resolve to tread the path of life is your best asset. Without it, you die. Death is unavoidable, but let it not be from loss of will but because your time is over. As long as you can keep going, use your imagination to cope with the travails of life. Overcome your obstacles and realize what you envision.
You will know unexpected happiness. You will know the sorrow of seeing what is dearest to you cut down before your eyes. Accept that. That is the nature of human existence, and you have no time to buffer this fact with fairy tales and illogical explanations.
Each day, your life grows shorter by twenty-four hours. The time to make achievements becomes more precious. You must fulfill everything you want in life and then release your will upon the moment of death. Your life is a creation that dies when you die. Release it, give up your individuality, and in so doing, finally merge completely with Tao.
Until that moment, create the poetry of your life with toughness and determination.

Personal Interpretation


We must have the resolve to live our lives fully until we heave our last breath upon this Earth. Life will not always be pleasant or predictable, but it will largely be what we make of it. We will experience unexpected joy and watch our loved ones die. We will endure heartbreak and connect with kindred spirits. It is alright to have our moments of weakness, but we must always be willing to get back up. We don't know what the future has in store for us, and we must be able to adapt when necessary, but we must also devise plans and do our best to fulfill the goals we make for ourselves. We must strive to give purpose to our days here.

May 4th

Defiance


Every god can be defied.
No choice, no devotion.

There have been many rebels who have chosen to defy their gods. Without this option, there can be no true devotion to a holy concept. For devotion is only valuable when a conscious decision is made to follow that course, even in acknowledgment of the difficulties ahead. Choosing to be a devout person is good. Choosing to defy the gods is also good, for it reaffirms the basic ability of human beings to make choices. We cannot support religions which say that there are no choices.Metaphysical totalitarianism of any kind stifles the freedom we have as human beings. It is not acceptable to have a religion where the alternative to faith is punishment -- that's how you train dogs, not develop people. Spirituality is only great when it allows that utmost freedom to follow it. If we suffer from difficulties, that is not holy retribution, and we should not allow it to create debilitating questions.
If you endure a crisis in your life, it may well challenge your faith. Perhaps you will even respond bitterly to your gods and cry out : How could anything holy permit this atrocity to happen to me? But gods are not our parents or protectors. They are there only to inspire us to be better people. They symbolize the inherent choice of this existence. It is secondary whether we choose belief or defiance. What is precious is that we are always able to choose.

Personal Interpretation


It is up to each of us to decide where to place our faith. We have the ability to sing the praises of our gods or defy them. The idea of gods exists to make us into better people, and in the end, it matters little whether we choose to have faith in the concept we have developed for the divine or whether we have chosen to defy it.  The important thing is that we create our own vision for that greater power that directs our lives and that we recognize that we have a choice. Of course, we must also be willing to  exercise our free will at every opportunity. Adversity will come our way. We should not view it as divine retribution, but as part of what it means to be alive. If we can gain some insight from tragedy, something that can benefit our selves and our world in the future, then we have won even if it feels as if we have lost.

May 3rd

Center


From a bud, only a promise.
Then a gentle opening :
Rich blooming, bursting fragrance,
The fulfillment of the center.

True beauty comes from within. Take a flower as an example. In the beginning it is only a bud. It does not yet show its loveliness to the world, it does not attract bees or butterflies, and it cannot yet become fruit. Only when it opens is beauty revealed in its center. There is the focus of its exquisiteness, there is the source of its aroma, there is its sweet nectar. In the same way, our own unique beauty comes from within.Our glory has nothing to do with our appearance or our occupation. Our special qualities come from an inner source. We must take care to open and bloom naturally and leisurely and keep to the center. It is from there that all mystery and power comes, and it is good to let it unfold in its own time.
Just as a flower goes through stages -- bud, open, bloom, pollinate, wither, fruit, fall -- each of us will go through the obvious stages of birth to death. We aren't of a single character throughout our lives. We change and grow. Our identities unfold and bloom. Unless we attain the center and keep to our progressions, we cannot ever reach true independence in our lives.

Personal Interpretation


 Only when the bud of a flower opens itself to the world does it begin to blossom. It reaches instinctively for the light, and the flow that is Tao nourishes it through all of its growing pangs. It is the same with us. We must open ourselves to enlightment if we want to grow. We must recognize what lies within us, for the center of the self is the source of life and inspiration. Life can be tumultuous and if we want to maintain ourselves through the many changes that will surely shake us, we must hold to the center, must seek balance, must realign ourselves constantly. First and foremost, we must discover who we are and maintain that, no matter what. Anyone who asks us to sacrifice our sense of self does not have our best interests in mind. It  may sometimes be painful to be so knowledgable about ourselves. In fact, there may be things about ourselves we don't wish to acknowledge, but must must acknowledge them if we are to prosper.

May 2nd

Validity


A river new --
Ancient words unneeded.
See, touch, rushing beauty,
Drink crystal flow.

When we stand on the banks of a river, we must realize that it is constantly new. Although we might say that it was running long before we were born, its exact configuration -- the particular currents, the way it flows around rocks, the shape of its banks, the paths of fish in its depths -- is subtly unique at any given moment. To know the river, we only need to experience it directly : to touch it, to swim it, to contemplate it, to drink it. The same is true of Tao.Tao is ever flowing. Although it was present since the beginning of time and though many have experienced it, it is here for us to explore today. Touch it. Swim it. Contemplate it. Drink it. If you have touched Tao, you should harbor no doubt about it, nor should you wonder that you need scripture to confirm it.

Personal Interpretation


We need no ancient words in order to observe and appreciate Tao at work in our lives. Tao is like a river, and while it has always been, it is always renewing itself. Our relationship with Tao is our own, and it is different from anyone else's. The best way to know Tao is to look upon its beauty, swim in its waters, drink from it when our spirits thirst.  We won't be able to put our experience of it into words, but this does not invalidate our experience of it.

May 1st

Sanctuary


Golden light skims azure bay,
Dense air heavy with laurel.
Windless dusk smears to night,
Sonorous pool in a sheltered grove.

Though this world is turbulent, there are still days and places where we can be afforded some tranquility. When this happens, it is right to rest from the tribulations and striving of being in the world and to take advantage of what is offered. Sometimes it will be the peaceful feeling of sunset, when the blazing sun becomes reconciled with the horizon and a sense of acceptance lingers in the air. At other times, it will be the chance encounter with a secret place -- perhaps a grove of trees that promises a mysterious comfort.In such private places, we can often find peace. Such stillness can even be precious, as when we notice the deep voice of a stream which we were always too busy to hear before. Indeed, sometimes we are so worn out by our daily activities that we forget to notice our need for recharging.
Renewal is a profound tonic. With sanctuary and rest, we can prepare to go forth again.

Personal Interpretation


It is important to rest when we are weary. This is true when it comes to our physical forms and it is also true when it comes to our spirits. There are places in this world where peace is to be had. Perhaps it is our need for rest that allows us to recognize these sources of rejuvenation. Perhaps rest is thrust upon us by a chance encounter with a shimmering stream or a mysterious grove of trees. One thing is certain. When we are too exhausted from the trials and tribulations of life, we cannot function. We must rest. It is one of the seeming paradoxes of taoism that rest is when we accomplish the most.