Changing Places

Contemplate in the morning.
Pull weeds in the afternoon.
The joys and labor of a single day
Are part of a whole journey.

If all you want is spiritual realization, it isn’t that difficult. For the average person, a dozen years under the guidance of a good teacher will probably give it to you. That’s shorter than what it takes to be a good musician, athlete, or artist. It’s even shorter that the time it will take you to collect your pension. If you have the good fortune to study with the right person, you can succeed in a relatively short amount of time.

But after you get it, then what? Many of us place such an emphasis on attaining realization that we may forget to put it in context. What actually matters is to walk Tao, maintaining vitality until we meet our end in a timely way. Spiritual realization is essential, but it is not everything.

A starving person dwells inordinately on the thought of food. Likewise, a spiritually hungry person can only think of realization. One who has food can place it in the right context, just as one who has understanding can place it in the correct perspective. Followers of Tao therefore do not emphasize enlightenment as an ultimate goal. For them, realization is a means, not an end. Their emphasis is on the act of living. They use the word longevity, not because they want to live forever, but because it symbolizes their determination to live the entire course of their lives well.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

I like the image of the cake with ereference to the starving person – let them eat cake!

I think a lot of Americans are starving spiritually. The religious experience of most Americans is limited to Sundays at church, maybe a Christmas Eve service, the occasional wedding or funeral. Most americans don’t think about their spirituality on a daily basis, ands those who do are often misguided about what that really is. I remember finding one of my mother’s journals to God, praying for God to answer her. I was sad, thinking if only she had sought her answers within herself, she might have found them.

I try to find the spiritual in the everday and the ordinary. My garden offers the best consolations, my pets give unconditional love, my family my greatest joys. I like to think we are all a part of the same thing, the Tao if you will, and the life we live is at its best a joyous celebration of that. I like the idea of funerals and wakes being a joyous celebration of a person’s life, rather than the mourning of the loss we feel. I think if we focused more on that, it would be easier for us to deal with death and loss.

I’ve had my share of death and loss, and gotten over my fears of death and of losing others for the most part. I’ve gotten over my fears of abandonment, my own ego’s desire to be the center of everything and the reason for everyone else’s care and concern for me. Now I have the freedom to care and be concerned for myself, and others, without the fears and jealousies that held me and others back from life. I enjoy the people who come my way, but no longer have the need to hold onto them, to force them to be with me or notice me. It is so much more about choice, my own and others, to do what is right for us. I suppose some can call that selfishness, if they like, but to me, it is the most selfless thing of all.

Living well is indeed the best revenge. It doens’t mean living a long time, or being rich. It means you live your life being in the moment, moving with the flow ofd Tao, and enjoying your life, whatever it brings you. it doesn’t mean you won’t ever be sad, but it means you know sadness will not last, and there will be joy again – if you let that joy return to your life in whatever ways it can.

It certainly ought to be a crime… so why isn’t DeLay in jail? He’s broken enough laws already….

t r u t h o u t || Best. Picture. Ever.

Go see!

Neuroscience for Kids

The smell of a flower – The memory of a walk in the park – The pain of stepping on a nail. These experiences are made possible by the 3 pounds of tissue in our heads…the BRAIN!!

Neuroscience for Kids has been created for all students and teachers
who would like to learn about the nervous system.

Wearily I open my prayer book,
Sepia photograph of sage on amber page,
Flaming raven Sanskrit, strange syllables,
Intone, chant, repeat.
Number vows with beads:
Every resolution is inspiration petrified.

There are some days when one is disengaged from Tao, not interested in devotion, and everything just becomes an empty form. Gone are spiritual bliss, deep insight, and integration with the rhythm of the universe. Instead, there is duty, form, and stiff discipline. One can try to remember the reasons for one’s quest, think of the achievements of the past, reaffirm one’s goals, and still not be inspired to do one’s practice. What do you do?

Every once in a while, it is permissible to skip things for a day. If you are angry, under great stress, or ill, then it is best simply to rest. But if one has made vows, it is only a matter of laziness or indifference, then you must exert your discipline and practice even if it means that you are just going through the motions. In at least half the cases, something significant will happen. The rest of the time, going through your forms is in itself a good practice. It builds a tremendous momentum that will manifest itself in later times.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

I try to think about Tao every day. Some days I don’t, and find myself even more in Tao than when I’m deliberately thinking about it. I’ll go on vacation, and find myself so into the things I’m doing on vacation, so into the flow of life itself. So I guess the practice of thinknig about Tao does lead me more into being with the Tao even when I don’t think about it. But I certainly don’t let it become a chore. I don’t think spirituality should ever be a chore or something you have to do. I spent enough boring Sundays in church as a kid to know that isn’t worth it.

The sage whose words are ambiguous you call great.
Those who advocate discipline you shun.
With one, you treat words the way you want.
With the other, you resent having no quarter.

It is unfortunate that we need the words of the wise. Though they are essential to our beginnings on a spiritual path, they can cause problems because they must be interpreted to be understood. Because words are imperfect, every generation rewrites itself.

People love ambiguity, especially when it comes to religion. They can interpret things any way they want. If they are unhappy with the cast given to a particular teaching, they invent ways to circumvent it, which is why we have so many authorities, schools, and sects.

It is no accident that the most revered sages are dead. They aren’t around to correct our misguided notions, to change their teachings, or even to make mistakes that might mitigate our reverence. Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Lao Tzu — how many of us are actually devoted to the wisdom that they embodied? Or have we made them mere screens upon which we project our own ideas?

It is important to spend time with a living teacher, one who can correct mistakes and discipline you. But the object of such study should not be the creation of a new orthodoxy. Rather, your goal should be to bring yourself to a state of independence. All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

“. . .There’s glory for you!” (said Humpty Dumpty.)

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ ” Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously,
“of course you don’t—till I tell you.
I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!”

“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘nice knockdown argument,’ ”
Alice objected.

“When I use the word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather
scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to
mean —- neither more nor less.”

“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words
mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to
be master—that’s all.”

– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

I tend not to pay too much attention to people’s words. I pay a lot more attention to what people do, and to the feeling I get from a person. Perhaps that’s why I find myself so annoyed at much of what is going on in America today. People who call themselves Christians want to tell others how to live, when Christ himself would never have acted the way they do. They live in big houses, drive fancy cars, vote to cut their taxes, and claim to be Christian? Please. Sell the house and SUV and go live among the homeless and take care of them – then I might believe you’re a Christian. Father Joe is a Christian.

I think Christ would be very annoyed at much of what has gone on in the world in his name. But then, so would Mohammed. I haven’t seen many Buddhist who seem to deliberately distort the teachings of Buddha, but then I haven’t lived in a culture where that’s a dominant religion. As to Lao Tzu, well, I suppose there have been distortions of Taoism, as when it was popular with the Chinese wealthy classes. These days I find most Taoists pretty reasonable people. But in our culture people turn to Taoism as sort of a spiritual last resort after they’ve become disgusted with the actions of those of other faiths and need some spirituality that makes sense.

Info for event usweax

Magnitude 8.7 – NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
2005 March 28 16:09:36 UTC
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver

A great earthquake occurred at 16:09:36 (UTC) on Monday, March 28, 2005. The magnitude 8.7 event has been located in NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

Magnitude 8.7
Date-Time Monday, March 28, 2005 at 16:09:36 (UTC)
= Coordinated Universal Time
Monday, March 28, 2005 at 11:09:36 PM
= local time at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 2.065�N, 97.010�E
Depth 30 km (18.6 miles) set by location program
Region NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Distances
205 km (125 miles) WNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
250 km (155 miles) SW of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
535 km (330 miles) WSW of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
1410 km (880 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty horizontal /- 4.6 km (2.9 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters Nst=239, Nph=239, Dmin=538.5 km, Rmss=0.79 sec, Gp= 25�,
M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usweax
Felt Reports At least 50 people killed, 100 injured and 300 houses Destroyed on Nias. Extensive damage on Simeulue. Felt in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and as far north as Bangkok, Thailand.

Scholars, drunk on words and obscure meanings,
Weave a tangled web of concordances.
Simple practice never occurs to them.
Give up education, and the world will be better.

There are many who seek Tao through intellect. They revel in thousands of coincidences, seek similarities in all the world’s religions, conduct learned discourses for enthralled audiences. But they would reach the truth faster if they tied their thoughts to experience.

The intellect is inherently dualistic. It makes distinctions and creates new connections between concepts and calls that “meaning.” This type of analytical thinking is extremely limited in the face of Tao, which is not fully rational, nor fully quantitative, not fully describable. Though most followers of Tao are learned, they also realize that the intellect is but one aspect in what must be a multifaceted approach to Tao.

It is said one must give up education, not because we should be dumb, but because we mut seek a level on consciousness beyond the intellect. We must study, but not to the point that emphasis on experience and meditation is lost. If we can combine the intellect and direct experience with out meditative mid, then there will be no barrier to the wordless perception of reality.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

As much as I like to think about Tao, it is not when I’m thinking about it that I most experience it. I am most with Tao when I’m in my garden, when I’m out in the world enjoying the sunshine and plants and fresh air, or when I am quietly meditating. Even as I put together my musings, I am distracted by the Tao – cats to pet, dog to pet or let in and out, a drink to refill, a bird to watch, the noise of workers removing wallboard that has had water leak in and ruin it.
So much going on!

And this is a relaxing day. On a busy day, there is so much more. Life is constantly going on around us. The Tao is always busy, creating, changing form. We watch in amazement as the world changes around us. How could we possibly keep up with all this intellectually? Oh, look! A rose is blooming! I am constantly distracted by all that goes on around me. Intellectually, I tune this out to write, but really, I am aware of all this going on. If I were only to listen to my intellect, I would miss so much of life. Oooh, stretch – feel muscles rearrange themselves… Turn down the heater that is getting too warm on my leg. Readjust my sitting position. See? there is alway all this going on…

painting by Melissa Egan, Parting Ways

You and I assumed forever
When we became companions.
But now, unhappy, you are leaving.
The sky turns to bitter candescence
Unslaked by resignation.

There are times when we have been lucky enough to have companions on our spiritual path, but the time of parting often comes without welcome. When our friends decide to leave, we are often left with doubt, confusion, and sometimes guilt. Anyone may leave the path. They won’t suffer damnation; they will only walk a different path.

The rule for those who follow Tao is this: Walk the path together as long as you can, and when you must part, never hold your companion back.

Should one seek to have no feelings at all regarding friends? After all, the sages constantly warn against attachment. Yet emotion is part of what makes us human. We may understand philosophically why a companion must leave, but we need not deny our feelings as we walk on alone.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

This is a difficult topic for me. Parting from friends has caused the most sorrow in my life. Losing my parents was awful, but expected – you know at some point you have to face death. But friends deciding to walk away? Who ever expects that, when we have enjoyed and shared so much together. You think such friendships would last, but then, they don’t, and you are left wondering if you ever really knew that person, or yourself, at all.

For me, those partings were a result of my haiving an illness I was unaware I had – bipolar disorder. I knew my sister and nephew had problems, but I had been told I was fine. Then I had a full-blown bipolar episode after losing a good friend from my life, and realized the past losses were a part of that same pattern – the massive high at their friendship, the obsession over the loss of friendship, and the excessive attempts to restore the friendship were all symptoms of the same illness.

But do others ever understand mental illness? No, not really. They can sympathize, perhaps, but to accept that someone has overcome this beast and welcome them back into their life is beyond most people, I think. The hurts are deep, and forgiveness does not come easily to everyone.

For me, it was a lesson in having compassion towards other people, knowing they are not always fully responsible for the way they act or what happens in their lives. I am far more accepting of others, far more open in many ways. And yet, I have refrained from developing new close friendships, perhaps out of fear of loss, perhaps just because I no longer need the attachments I did in the past.

But I don’t walk my path alone. I have my husband, my friends, my children, my family members, and my kitties and golden retriever (who is an ever-loyal companion). And my feelings towards those I’ve lost as friends are pretty well resolved. The love is still there, the door is always open, but I accept that they won’t be back. Their path is different, and diverges from mine. There are stories I wish I could tell them, questions I would like to ask, but those are wishes, not needs. I have my memories, and my love for them, and that is all I need.

Traversing sun leads to a new season.
Vernal breath attunes the leaves.

Tao is here. It is we who are not always in harmony with it.

Tao proceeds on its own way. It is we who are not ready to follow.

Tao is absolutely sure in its movements. It is we who involve ourselves in amusements.

Tao has no consciousness, yet it is supreme. It is we who think compulsively.

Therefore, tuning ourselves to Tao is the basic task. We must make ourselves the perfect instrument, much in the way a beautiful harp has all its strings adjusted. If we are less than sound, how will we harmonize with the universal music?

Once we are attuned, we can become open to Tao. Where it leads, we follow without hesitation. Just as a musician expresses individual talent and understanding and yet blends with the swelling magnificence of the orchestra, so too does the follower of Tao remain human and yet in harmony with the universal.

When the sun begins its new pattern, spring follows. The air warms, and the world rejoices. A new breath comes over all things, and even the trembling leaves are attuned to the vernal rhythm. Turn your face to the sun, as flowers know how to do. Turn your face to Tao, as we should all do.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

We’re in the tail end of a spring storm right now, so there’s not much sun out today. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit brighter.

And I’m a bit more focused on current events right now than keeping up with my Tao studies. Reading the economic blogs, working with my MoveOn group, and such. For some good reads today, try maxspeak, angry bear, and brad setser. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten today, so guess I’m having a pretty slow day, really.

Just caught a tiny bit of sun as it disappeared over the hill behind my house. Normally I post my Tao posts in the morning, so it’s strange to get to it this late in the day. With both boys home from school there were a lot of distractions today, and my email has been busy. I’ve been posting my thoughts on current affairs to my email groups, and that takes some time and effort to really think about what I want to say. Mostly trying to encourage people to make sure their financial affairs are in order and not to be in debt right now.

I feel a bit more secure in that most of my family is financially stable, other than my sister and nephew, who I worry about. But with inflation edging up, and the US deficit and trade imbalance so large, it’s hard to feel good about where the country is financially. We are so far out of tune as a nation with where we need to be, and it’s difficult to see how we can get on track. Our congress is sidetracked with circuses like the Schiavo incident instead of paying attention to our economic situation, or the general health care crisis that is coming. While Bush tries to convince us social security is in trouble, the deficit skyrockets with military spending and the health care crisis looms. Why is one woman’s life so much more important than everyone else’s health care? How about being fiscally conservative instead of just trying to rewrite the social contract?

Infinite expanse, sleek ocean teeming with life,
Turbulent, virile, ever-moving spread.
Seamlessly laid to the brilliant sky.
I float on you in my fashioned womb,
Sustained against your green-black depths.

Those on land never understand maritime life.
Those of the sea are intimate with your moods;
They navigate but are ultimately helpless.
Destinations become useless, drifting the sole reality;
A sailor’s fears dissolve into acceptance.

Tao is sometimes compared to the ocean. Its depth is immeasurable, its power rules all who enter it. We seek to sail it with our knowledge of knots, direction, mathematics, and charts, yet our understanding is incomparable to its vastness. The young have great ambition about exploring both above and below the surface, while the old have given in: They know that there is no other alternative than to accept the ocean and float upon it. One who accepts is sustained. Those who go beyond its terms meet death. Thus the wise say that they float here and there without care; they trust in the overwhelming power of Tao.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

I guess I’m still young enough to want to dive beneath the surface and explore what’s there. Snorkeling in Hawaii last summer was pretty awesome, and it was nice to share that experience with the kids. I’ve always liked to explore the depths, but am starting to become more at peace with floating along and just drifting. But I don’t think I will ever be content to just sit in the harbor.

U.S. Living Will Registry: About Us

U.S. LIVING WILL REGISTRY
Living will – health care proxy
U.S. Living Will Registry

Registration is FREE.

You must register through a Member Health Care Provider or a Community Partner.

Once registered, you are registered for life. If you register your advance directive, you will receive an update form annually so that your information will always be current. There is never a renewal or update charge. The Registry provides this service free of charge through its member Health Care Providers and Community Partners so that everyone can participate, and cost will never prevent anyone from registering these important documents. Health care providers (hospitals, doctors, skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, home health agencies, providers of home health care, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospices) will have access to your documents, and your privacy and confidentiality are always maintained. For more information on how the Registry works, visit
How It Works.

After your document is registered, you will receive notification by mail, along with labels to attach to your driver’s license and insurance card stating that you are registered with the U.S. Living Will Registry, and a wallet card listing your Registration number. Once registered, your documents and emergency contact information will be available to health care providers across the country. You will have peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be available whenever and wherever they are needed. Your family will not have to make difficult decisions on your behalf, and by having your wishes available, the problems that can occur when family members disagree about treatment will be avoided.

If you already have an advance directive, find a member Health Care Provider or Community Partner through which to register it.

If you have not yet prepared your advance directive, visit the Advance Directive Forms page for instructions and help in preparing your document.

To register organ donor information, find a member Health Care Provider or Community Partner in your area by clicking on the button below.

Kudos to my friend John Pierce…

Left2Right: memo to House Republicans

memo to House Republicans

Posted by David V. on March 19, 2005

To: House Government Reform Committee
From: James David Velleman
Re: My Advance Directive

Having discussed with my wife how I wish to be treated in case of irreversible brain injury — a private matter that I choose not to air here — I hereby inform you of my refusal, in advance, to respond to any subpoenas with which I may be served while in a persistent vegetative state. Since I will not in those circumstances be able to assert this refusal, or my preference to be held in contempt of Congress, I am asserting them publicly now, in the hope of forestalling such ghoulish theatrics on your part, which would richly deserve my contempt. Should this hope be frustrated, I have instructed my physicians and my attorney to deny you access to my hospital room.

Sun and moon divide the sky,
Fragrance blooms on pear wood bones;
Earth awakens with a sigh.
Wanderer revels on the path alone.

It is the time of equinox, when day and night are briefly equal. This day signals the beginning of spring, the increasing of light, and the return of life to the frozen earth.

Of course, this day only represents a moment in time. Spring has long been returning, and we know that summer will soon follow. The cycle of the seasons will continue in succession. here is no such thing as a true stopping in time, for all is a continuum. Nature makes its own concordances as a mere outgrowth to its movement, it is we who see structure and give names to pattern.

But who can begrudge temporary pleasures to a solitary traveler? Let us go out and enjoy the day, revel in the coming of spring, rejoice in the warming of the earth. For though the ground may be covered with frost, movement and growth are taking place all around us. Beauty bared fills our eyes and makes us drunk. As we wander the endless mountains and streams, filling our lungs with the breath of the forests, let us take comfort in being part of nature. For life has enough misery and misfortune. Philosophy reminds us enough of the transience of life. Give us the charm of the ephemeral, and let it silence all who would object.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

Ah, Spring! Now it’s time to get to the gardening in earnest. The roses are all beginning to burst out, the irises are blooming, everything is covered in new growth this year thanks to the heavy rains we’ve had. Everyhere something is growing, blooming, and the breeze is blowing, and life is just so…. ah…..

Trust the gods within,
Accept given boons.
Illusion is reality’s border:
Pierce fear to go beyond.

In your meditations, you will meet gods. These gods are nothing more than the holiest aspects of your own mind; they are not other beings. Your inner gods will grant gifts of knowledge and power. You can trust your gods. They will never betray you for you cannot betray yourself.

Such trust dissolves fear and regret. You will find a resolution to your inner conflicts. The gods will direct you to forward to the very border of reality itself. On the other side is vast profundity, the ultimate nature of existence. But the border can be crossed only if you have resolved all fear and regret.

All fear comes from our sense of self. When we stand at the border of reality, we are afraid that we will lose our identities by plunging in. We are afraid of being destroyed. But we came from Tao in the first place. We are Tao. To return to Tao is not to be negated, but to become one with the entire universe. True, we will no longer be who we are now, but we will be one with Tao. In that state, there is no need for fear.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

What does this mean:
“What we value and what we fear are within our Self?”
We have fears because we have a self.
When we do not regard that self as self,
What have we to fear?

– Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

“I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

— Frank Herbert, Dune – Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

It’s perfectly rational to be afraid of some things, particularly things that are likely to kill you, like falling from a great height. It’s also rational to fear the loss of someone close to you, since that is such a huge emotional loss. The problem comes when we let fear overwhelm us to the point that we can no longer respond to life, or when we create irrational fears that are really obstacles to the things we want to accomplish in our lives. If you aren’t sufficiently afraid of the things that can truly harm you, you become something of a thrill seeker, deliberately needing a new challenge to threaten you and provide an adrenalin rush.

So fear is a useful emotion, but only to a point. When you find fear overwhelming you, for whatever reason, it’s important to understand what you’re really afraid of. For me, my greatest fear was abandondment, especially after losing a parent. What I get from the Tao though is the understanding that since I am part of Tao, Tao can never abandon me. So now I’m no longer afraid of people abandoning me, and in fact, find myself quite comfortable just being alone and by myself again. I don’t choose to be alone constantly, but am quite happy when I am alone.

Understand your fears, and then work to overcome them. Start just facing that fear for a brief time, in your mind, until you can face it in the real world. Then work little by little to face that fear and stop avoiding the situations that cause you to have that fear. Over time, your fears will start to fade as you move to be more with Tao all the time.

Gannon Club 21

Every soul is inviolable,
Any though can be private.
The deepest goal is to
Find sanctity’s source.

The body may be ravaged and hacked to pieces, but the mind may never be invaded. It is only when we permit others to influence us that our minds may be entered. Evil may thrive on enslaving us physically, emotionally, or mentally, but it can do so only be deception. That is why we must remember the sanctity of our own souls. Our thoughts are private. As long as we are determined, evil cannot sway us. People think that others can read minds or that the gods watch our every movement. No master, no psychic, no god can enter our inner gate if we choose not to let them in.

By withdrawing into the sanctity of our souls, we can also know ourselves. This effort cannot be carried forth by others. It can only be accomplished through the self effort of living and engaging in ongoing contemplation. Only we can enter the most sacred core of our beings and find the secrets of life.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

I tihnk we all have a place within ourselves that we identify as our own, not shared with anyone. The thoughts that we don’t share with others are the most sacred part of ourselves. The things we do by ourselves that others are not a part of, those are our sacred rituals, not things that are performed in public. The only real prayers are private prayers, the only real sanctity is in ourselves. That is the inviolable space.

An opening in the stormy sea,
Gold deposited on bones.
Once accumulation has begun,
Take care not to interfere.

There is a fable about a pious man whose father had just died. A geomancer instructed the son to bury his father at the mouth of a sea cave. The sea opened at this spot only once in a hundred years, and a family who utilized it would experience great fortune. Although he had misgivings about this unorthodox location, the son threw the casket into the waters at the indicated time.

For weeks the son doubted what he had done. He eventually went to a competing geomancer, who, out of jealousy, advised the son to raise the casket. The son did so. When the coffin was brought up and opened, the man saw that a fine layer of pure gold had already been deposited on his father’s bones — a clear indication of the auspicious transformation that had begun. In regret, the son wanted to throw his father back in, but it was too late. There was no remedying what had been done.

Spiritual practice must be uninterrupted. We may be anxious because we see very little happening on a daily basis, but we must be patient until we can see what the accumulation of our efforts yields. Self-cultivation means steady, gradual progress. To stop prematurely would be more disastrous than never having started at all.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

Learning builds daily accumulation, but the practice of Tao builds daily simplification. Simplify and simplify, until all contamination from relative, contradictory thinking is eliminated. Then one does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it. One who meddles with the world loses it.

– Tao te Ching, 48. Lao-Tzu

The story is very Tao in that it illustrates the benefits of just leaving things alone and not meddling with them. That is pretty much how I feel about my spirituality these days. I practice being spiritual in my daily life by not meddling with things, letting things progress naturally as much as possible. My son wondered today how it was he came out ok without his parents meddling in his life like his other friend’s parents seem to do. I just smiled and laughed.

Children grow best when they are appreciated for who they are, allowed to grow in their own way and time. So it is with all things. Even with ourselves, we have to patiently cultivate our own spirituality, not dig it up by its roots or try to make it grow faster by adding a lot of fertilizer (dogma) or too much water (flooding ourselves with an insistence on immediate enlightenment) or trimming ourselves too much to fit another’s idea of what our spiritual practice should be. Everyone has to find what works best for them, and respect the choices of others for their own spirituality.

Be patient with others, and patient with yourself. Then you will see results.

Stand at the precipice,
That existential darkness,
And call into the void:
It will surely answer.

The precipice represents our dilemma as human beings, the sense that this existence is all too random, all too absurd. Is there order? Is there a force directing things? These are the important issues, so important that we cannot rely on scripture, but must instead explore on our own.

The followers of Tao compare the void to a valley. A valley is void, yet it is productive and positive. The emptiness of the valley permits water to accumulate for plants. It allows life-giving sunlight to flood its surface. Its openness gives comfort to people and animals alike. The void should not be frightening. Rather, it contains all possibilities. Peer into it, call out, not just with your voice, but with your whole being. If your cry is deep and sincere, an echo is sure to return. This is the affirmation of our existence, the affirmation that we are on the right path. With that encouragement, we can continue our lives and our explorations. Then the void is not frightening, but a constant companion.

Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao

The ancient followers of the Tao
were subtle, mysterious, and penetrating.
They were too deep to be fathomed.
All we can do is describe their appearance.
Hesitant, as if crossing a winter stream.
Watchful, as if aware of neighbors on all sides.
Respectful, like a visiting guest.
Yielding, like ice beginning to melt.
Simple, like an uncarved block.
Open, like a valley.
Obscure, like muddy water.

Who else can be still and let the muddy water
slowly become clear?
Who else can remain at rest and slowly come to life?

Those who hold fast to the Tao
do not try to fill themselves to the brim.
Because they do not try to be full
they can be worn out and yet ever new.

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 15

The void is simply what comes before everything else. What comes before us? We really don’t know for sure, only what we are told and can figure out. We came from our parents, we can see that is obvious as we have our own children. But over time, what came before is lost. We don’t know our original ancestors, what their world was like, how they lived, etc. We can only guess from the few clues we find.

And the origins of the universe itself? All we can do is peer out at what light comes to us on this world, and make our best guess. The origins of matter? Every time we think we know what things are made of, we find ever smaller particles, finally just sources of energy. And what came before that energy? The void. That’s all we know of it.

Nothing scary, just things we don’t know. And the unknown doesn’t have to be scary – just unknown. It becomes fun eventually to learn things you didn’t know and find out new stuff, so discovery of new things does become a constant companion. And discovery of the void is the most challenging thing to learn about of all.