June 7th

Dying


Leaden blankets weigh her down,
White hanks drape her leathery face.
Caught in the numbness of narrowing time,
Eyes blinded by gauze,
Robotic sights echo into her coma.
Metallic hiss of breathing machine is the
Strange violence of modern compassion.

What do we do when those we care deeply about are dying, while we go on living and working? We might be tempted to indulge in our own feeling of injustice, sadness, or fear, but we should think first of those who are dying. We have a responsibility to be with them.Don't let others die lonely. No matter how ironic your living may compare with their dying, act for them as they can no longer act. If they reach out for some way to cope with their impending end, you need not have flowery words. Merely being with them, perhaps reaching out to hold hands, is eloquence enough. Death may be near, but any amount of time before it comes is precious.
Life's moments are not cheapened by death. Just to observe and affirm is good. After all, death waits for all of us. Only the value we place on each minute determines the quality of life. If we can embrace that, then no one's life is ruined by death.

Personal Interpretation


We must strive to be present in the moment. When the ones we love are nearing death's door, we should seek to comfort them rather than indulging in selfish feelings of premature mourning. Fancy words aren't necessary. Sometimes our presence is the greatest gift we can bestow. Life is not cheapened by the inevitability of death. We will all die one day.  By placing value on each precious moment, we create a life that is worthy of being memorialized.

June 6th

Optimal


If you are best in the morning,
Cultivate Tao in the morning.
If you are best in the evening,
Cultivate Tao in the evening.

Whatever the optimal time of day is for you, you should devote it to the cultivation of Tao. For example, dawn, when it is quiet, the world is fresh, and the mind is untainted by the day's events, is an ideal time to devote yourself to study. Morning, the time of birth, should not be wasted on a quick breakfast, a hastily read newspaper, and a manic rush to work. If is far better to awake from peaceful sleep, wash yourself, drink clear water, and immerse yourself in the rising energy of the day.If your optimal time is evening, there are two propitious intervals : twilight, when day and night come into balance, and midnight, when the first breath of the coming day arises. In the night, worldly cares are put aside, rest and relaxation are paramount, and the entire world withdraws into nocturne. Night is the time of regeneration, and it should not be wasted on wanton entertainment, indulgent sexuality, and too much sleep. It is far better to retire from the cares of the day, bathe, and immerse yourself in the gestating power of the dark.

Personal Interpretation


We should seek to cultivate Tao when our energy is highest. For some this will be in the morning when they have just waken and the day has yet to reveal itself to them. For others it will be the space between day and night. Still others will find the focus they need at midnight when the rest of the world is sleeping. It is not important when we choose to meditate and reflect on ourselves and our connection to the Divine. What is important is that we do it and at a time of day when we can give ourselves fully to it.

June 5th

Inseparable


The trunk is hollow,
But the branches live.
The void is fundamental,
But the ten thousand things are diverse.
Therefore, wanderers free themselves of cares
And follow Tao in great delight.

The base of a tree may occasionally be hollow, yet the trunk can rise a hundred feet to support a lushly growing crown. Tao may be void, but the world has great profusion. This is because there is no separation between void and phenomena. Therefore, Tao cannot be gained from denying the world.Void is a part of all reality and thus has tangibility. The great Tao permeates the world and so it can be studied in the world. All that needs to be known about Tao's manifestation can be known by traveling through life. All experiences are valid, for all experiences are of Tao.
In all of life, the only thing that separates from Tao is the human ego, because one places oneself before all other things. By contrast, those who follow Tao divest themselves of self-importance and desire for success. They prefer to follow Tao as it flows through the land. They move from place to place as they intuitively sense its direction. Feeling the divine energy, they live in its vital flow. These wanderers have glimpsed the void that is in them and in all things. They delight in life but never see more than void.

Personal Interpretation


There is no distinction between the void and the world that exists because of it. The profusion of life and experience and the hollowness of Tao are part of the same whole and work to support one another. Delight is found in following Tao, and the best way of doing that is to live life to its fullest. We should enjoy each and every blessed moment we're given, but seek also to know the truth behind what we know. There is always potential, always something to be filled. When we empty ourselves, we can prepare ourselves to receive this truth and our lives can be improved by the experience. The value of a thing is in its manifestation, but the usefulness of the thing is created by the emptiness that, not unlike a bowl or well, holds and supports it.

June 4th

June 4th

Enjoyment


Sleek sky of cobalt blue;
Water like nectar satisfies deeply.
Air sweeter than the best perfume;
Sunlight warms a grateful cat.

It is hard to believe life is all for naught. Can't we take happiness when it comes?There is admittedly a great deal of suffering and horror in this world. But if we are to accept life's sad parts, we must also embrace its good parts. As long as we are in this world, we must accept it all. If what comes our way is occasionally wonderful, no one should deny our enjoyment. We all know that every rise is followed by a fall. Why dwell only on dread of the future? As long as we have behaved responsibly, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the best of what life has to offer.
Look at a cat as she stretches out contentedly in the sun. There is no thought of the next moment, only the sheer enjoyment of the present. Rest assured that she will still be able to clean herself, still be able to catch mice, and still be able to do all the things that a cat must do. But she is without anxieties, and so she is purely and totally who she should be. She acts as if she were nature's favorite. And who is to say otherwise?

Personal Interpretation

Today is about enjoyment, and it just so happens to be my birthday today. And what day in a person's life is more worthy of celebration? The difficulties of life will never cease. Hardship will come our way. But so will joy. Why deny happiness because of a fixation on the unpleasantness of a future that has yet to manifest itself? Let us enjoy each and every precious moment that we are given and strive to live in the present.

June 3rd

Sheaths

Traditional sages describe a human being as having three sheaths. The outer one is the physical body and incorporates primitive drives and instincts. The inner one is the mind and includes discrimination, reasoning, and sense of individuality.Both the body and the mind are enslaved to the outer world because they gain their knowledge from sensory input. They cannot know anything "intangible," anything without a form or a name.
At the core of every person is the soul. This is a pure, virgin self. It does not think in the ordinary sense of the word, has no egotism, and is not concerned with maintaining itself in the world. Although the body has a shape and the mind is multi-faceted, the soul is completely without form or features. No markings, profiles, names, formulas, numbers, ideas, or conceptions can be projected upon it. It is pure, shapeless, and empty.
Any person with training can reach this soul. Only then can you be convinced of its presence. When you reach it, your body and mind will become irrelevant, for you are now in a state beyond the senses and beyond thought. The soul is called absolute because it is beyond all relativity.

Personal Interpretation


The body and the mind are both slaves to subjectivity. We rely on our senses to relay information and come to conclusions based on that input. But there is also a part of each of us that is pure and untainted by the world. There is the soul. It is not concerned with egotism. Its greatest ambition is to be one with all that is. It is both simple and profound, and we can reach it through prayer and meditation. To say that it is an empty and shapeless thing is not to do it some grave injustice. Indeed, it is capable of being what it is because of these defining characteristics. It is not forced to take a certain form by the world. It simply is. Its emptiness allows it to be filled. It is the structure that makes each of us who we truly are. Life is a process of trying to regain the beautiful virgin purity of the soul, and while it is an arduous quest, there is no undertaking more worthwhile.

June 2nd

Blame


Though others have faults,
Concentrate on your own.

Some people have the habit of blaming others. Perhaps all of us have this weakness. The list of scapegoats for our miseries is clever and endless. Parents, community, teachers, government, and even demons and gods are all invoked when we have problems. If difficulties truly come from the outside, the problem is not blame. For those cases, the course of action is very clear : Neutralize that influence. If the problem comes from within, the solution must come from within as well. Before you blame friends, relatives, or teachers for bad habits and shortsightedness, you should remember that no one is to blame but yourself.It is an equal mistake to lose self-esteem simply because you have some flaws. Looking at your shortcomings and taking steps to eliminate them should be viewed as a dispassionate project. You are not worthless because you undertake to rise above your faults. That description is only for those who never attempt to perfect themselves. We all have a perfect core, a special self inside. That purity is perfect and holy; therefore, no one is worse than another.
We are all on this planet simply to reach back into that pure self. When we reach that spirit, there are no flaws and there is no blame.

Personal Interpretation


We should be careful about blaming others for mistakes that rest with us. If someone is making our life difficult, we always have the option to minimize their influence. There is no need to resort to blaming. And rather than losing ourselves in our own faults (which we are sometimes quick to blame others for), we always have the choice to evaluate and improve in a dispassionate way. None of us is worthless. Beneath the accumulation of our human traits lies a perfect soul. This life is about regaining the purity that is lost to the world. It is a noble quest and one which requires that we evaluate our own lives from time to time, make the changes we believe will bring about the best results, and allow ourselves to feel the love and peace that are our birthright.

June 1st

Sleep


Sleep is like a swift train
Plunging into long black tunnels,
Slicing day with red and black light.
No worry about the skeleton engineer.
Head to pillow is like head to track,
Listening to the rumble of destiny,
Knowing that the opening will come.
In sleep, as in the tunnels,
The sound seems ever closer.

When you sleep, some insist that the world as you know it ceases to exist. The world exists because something inside of you asserts that it is so. When awake, are you then no longer dreaming? Or are you just dreaming another dream?Going to sleep takes letting go. As any insomniac will tell you, it can't be forced. But we so identify control with waking, is it possible that the uncontrolled aspect of sleep is an equal reality?
Sleep seems so real, and then we awake. Waking life seems so real, and yet we need to let go of it every day. This strange contrast is one that those who follow Tao contemplate continually. If life is mere shifting from one dream to another, they constantly ask : What is truly real?

Personal Interpretation

Sleep is a letting go of sorts. Some suggest that our world ceases to exist when we drift into sleep. Dreams can seem more real than waking life. Conversely, waking life can come to feel unreal to us. The dichotomy between our waking and sleeping lives lends itself well to a discussion of reality and our role in it.