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A Quote I like:
The universe rearranges itself to accommodate your picture of reality.
with in your contol
feeling
thought
attitudes
awareness
values
desire
education
knowledge
trining
wellness
principles
problem solving skill
choices
How much risk I take
not in your contol
race
sex
age
country of origin
birth family
physical attributes
raw intelligence
other choices
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Tell your Truth. As much as you’re ready for.
Take Risks. As deep as you dare without doing harm. There is no growth with- Out risk.
Pay Attention to .Your Body. Breathe and focus on your internal process.
Express your Feelings. Be alive and in touch
Take Personal Responsibility. Own your thoughts, words, actions, experiences and choices.
Make “I” Statements. Taking responsibility more and blaming less.
Speak Directly to Person You Are Talking Th or About
Stay in the Here-and-Now.
Avoid the Use of Globalisms. e.g. everyone does that - we all feel that way.
If You Don’t Like What’s Happening, Say or Do Something About It. (You may or may not get what you want)
Honor and Allow Silence When it Happens. Notice what is happening when nothing is happening.
Blogroll:
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The history channel
oprah.
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info please
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Coast to coast
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 12 Mar 2010 @ 04:09
ENTERTAINMENT
The mind that turns ever outward
Will have no end to craving.
Only the mind turned inward
Will find a still-point of peace.
It seems people never tire of seeking new thrills. They crave entertainment, and they want newer, sharper experiences. Events do not even need to be actual -- people are more than content with recreations, displays, and stimulating machines. Music must be amplified. A historic location must have museums, shops, and festivals. Life must have elaborate ceremonies with images, music, speaking, dining, and drinking.
Followers of Tao regard all reality as being projections of our minds. All phenomena are subjective and relative. Therefore, it is folly to further entangle ourselves in confusion. True reality lies in withdrawal from the swirling variations of the outside world. It lies in looking within and then slowly peeling away the layers of subjectivity. What will remain is not a core of objectivity, but a kernel of truth that absorbs rather than reflects. If we enter into this kernel, our minds cease to continue their habits of creating stimulating realities, and we enter into a silence that feels perfect and whole.
365 Tao: Daily Meditation
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 12 Mar 2010 @ 04:06
INDEPENDENCE
A solitary crane
In winter snow
Needs no jewels.
A single crane standing unconcerned in the falling snow is the very image of independence. It needs no one, it is secure in its environment, and it is capable of going through life alone. Its independence stems from self-sufficiency.
It needs no clothing, no building, no wealth, no status. It is content, even glorious in its naked identity. So too with ourselves: There is no need for dazzling clothes, an impressive career, an awesome temple, nor a bejeweled master. What we want is something far beyond such externals.
What facets of your personality are encumbrances? What personal aspects prevent you from being independent? These are the areas that will define your self-cultivation, for you must strive to stand alone. This doesn't mean that you won't ever join with others, but you will do so as an individual who will cooperate just as much as is necessary. In this way, you will never be lost in a group, and you will never fear being alone
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 9 Mar 2010 @ 02:15
ASCENT
Chill morning, stone steps.
The path to the temple is steep.
We may stumble at times,
But we must always get up again.
Spiritual cultivation is a daily activity. No matter how much we
achieve one day, we must continue the next. Progress is often so subtle
that we may feel the effort futile, and it is hard to get up each
morning and try again with the same enthusiasm. Yet this is precisely
what we must do.
If we have the benefit of guidance, talent, and the proper
circumstances, then the bulk of our attention has to be paid to such a
simple day-to-day effort. No person ever leapt to heaven in one bound.
Spirituality is achieved by steady climbing, like a difficult journey to
a mountain temple. The number of steps is in the thousands; the way is
steep. It takes a long time to get there, and we must content ourselves
with the panoramas along the way and think that the view at the summit
will be best of all. If we fall, we must pick ourselves up and get back
on the trail again.
Success in spiritual life is measured not by spectacular events but
by daily devotion. This iron will, this deep sincerity maintains our
ascent.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 9 Mar 2010 @ 02:14
CYCLES
Dawn is a shimmering of the horizon.
Dusk is a settling of the sky.
Dawn and dusk together represent the measure of a day. When the sun
rises, the moon sets. When the moon rises, the sun sets. This represents
the cycle of existence, for without such alternation, the power of the
universe could not be generated. When the sun reaches its zenith, it
will inevitably begin its descent toward its nadir. All events --
including our own plans and activities -- follow the same pattern.
It is wisdom to know the cycles of life and where any particular
circumstance that we are involved in stands on the curve. If we want to
perpetuate something, we should join it to new growth to compound our
progress. If we want to destroy something, we need only lead it to its
extreme, for all things decline after their zenith.
All too often, people express uncertainty about where they stand in
life. It's important to examine both the short-range and the long-range.
If you want to go far in a decade, you have to go far each year. If you
want to go far each year, you have to make sure that you do something
significant each day. Use the cycles of life to establish a measure to
your life, and then arrange your plans according to the units that you
have chosen. Then there will be no fear of not knowing your own
progress.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 9 Mar 2010 @ 02:13
RETURNING
Angles against lavender sky
Flung far across heaven's vault.
Unfettered, swallows
Circle back to the nest.
Swallows are famous for their daring speed and the unpredictable
paths that they take in flight. Yet no matter how far they fly, they
circle back to their nests.
The idea of returning is significant for all of us. We must work,
explore, travel, and make our achievements in life. No matter how much
we strain and how wide we wander, we all need some lodestone, some
center from which to operate. For some of us, this is a place, a home.
For others, it is merely withdrawal into our own hearts.
Followers of Tao believe that there is a core spirit to which each
of us should return. This core spirit is increasingly obscured by our
own thoughts and the complexity of civilization. All education, while a
necessary evil, is a stain upon the primal soul. Therefore, returning is
a process of simplification that throws off the unnecessary problems of
socialization. One gradually peels back the layers and makes one's way
back to the unsullied, pure inner person. The time to do this is long,
and one needs a great deal of guidance and self-cultivation to achieve
it, but until one returns to the natural state, one cannot truly hope to
be one with Tao.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 6 Mar 2010 @ 01:21
UNBOUND
Bird song flies unfettered
Over blue sky and green fields.
Once you feel Tao run,
Give way, give way.
What is it like to feel Tao? It is an effortless flowing, a sweeping
momentum. It is like bird song soaring and gliding over a vast
landscape. You can feel this in your life: Events will take on a perfect
momentum, a glorious cadence. You can feel it in your body: The energy
will rise up in you in a thrilling crescendo, setting your very nerves
aglow. You can feel it in your spirit : You will enter a state of such
perfect grace that you will resound over the landscape of reality like
ephemeral bird song.
When Tao comes to you in this way, ride it for all that you are
worth. Don't interfere. Don't stop -- that brings failure, alienation,
and regret. Don't try to direct it. Let it flow and follow it. When the
Tao is with you, put aside all other concerns. As long as the song
lasts, follow. Just follow.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 4 Mar 2010 @ 16:06
ARTICULATION
Rain dripping from eaves
Sounds nature's poetry.
We speak and write to
Explain to ourselves.
Knowledge of Tao lodges in the same part of the mind as poetry. That
is why the ancients expressed themselves in verse : There is the same
quick perception.
When we are in touch with Tao, it is not our academic learning that
is speaking, but the spirit of Tao itself. The old texts are very
specific about this. That is why there is such a vast difference between
the words of scholars and the words of a practitioner, just as the words
of academics differ from the words of poets.
At the elementary stages of study, we need to articulate our
experiences and let Tao flow through us. Followers of Tao frequently use
writing, art, and even poetry as tools for self-discovery. By
articulating their experiences, it helps them to understand the stages
they are going through. Once they can do this, it satisfies and
neutralizes their rational minds. The process clears away
intellectualism and leaves the true Tao, which is not subject to words
or images.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 3 Mar 2010 @ 12:27
SORROW
Rain scatters plum petals;
Weeping stains the earth.
One can only take shelter
And wait for clearing.
When sorrow comes, its bitterness soaks everything. The sages say
that life is illusion, but does that change its poignancy? Let us be
sad; it is feeling that makes us human. If we gain enlightenment,
understanding all life to be a dream, sadness and happiness will fall
away soon enough.
The greatest sorrow of life is witnessing. Experiencing our own
sufferings is not as difficult as watching others held in fate's mighty
grip. Bearing our own problems is easier because we are always aware
that we can exercise other options -- up to the final one. However, it
hurts the most when we can do nothing for others. The greatest sorrow is
to see those we love suffer helplessly.
When faced with a sad situation, it is best not to languish in it.
We can change things by being with different people, moving to other
places, or, if all else fails, adjusting our own attitudes to take the
initiative. Sadness is transitory, like everything else. If we want to
deflect it, we need only alter its context and allow it to be subsumed
back into Tao.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 3 Mar 2010 @ 12:21
INTERPRETATION
All that we experience is subjective.
There is no sensation without interpretation.
We create the world and ourselves;
Only when we stop do we see the truth.
The world exists, but we cannot truly be one with it in our normal
modes of consciousness. Our minds know the world by constructing
conclusions from the data of our senses. All that we know is filtered
and interpreted.
Therefore, there is no such thing as objectivity or direct knowledge
of the world. Everything is relative because we are each condemned to
our particular vantage points. As long as we all have different
perspectives, as long as perception relies on our senses, then there
cannot be an absolute truth. All knowledge from experience, valuable as
it may be, is imperfect and merely provisional.
Inner truth is only glimpsed by disconnecting the mechanism of
interpretation. If we can withdraw the activities of the senses and
isolate that part of the mind responsible for filtering sensory input,
then we can temporarily shut off the ongoing process of interaction with
the outside world. We will then be in a neutral place that is wholly
turned inward. We are left with an absolute state, entirely without
distinction or relativity. This is called nothingness, and it is the
truth underlying all things.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 28 Feb 2010 @ 03:14
OPPORTUNITY
A green bird darting in the night.
Will you be able to see it?
Will you be able to catch it?
Cling to Tao like a shadow.
Move without a shadow.
Times of oppression and adversity cannot last forever. How is the
transition made to new and better situations? In the midst of great
difficulty, a tiny opportunity will open, if only by chance. You must be
sharp enough to discern it, quick enough to catch it, and determined
enough to do something with it. If you let it pass, you will be filled
with regrets.
Stick to Tao like a shadow. Wherever it goes, you go. As soon as it
throws something your way, catch it by sheer reflex. It is like the
bird: If you try to catch it, you will miss. If you are always with it,
moving at its speed, as much a part of it as its own shadow, then it is
easy to seize it.
When you act, however, you in turn must have no shadow. In other
words, what you do must leave no messiness, no leftover consequences,
nothing that will haunt you later. That is one of the ways in which you
avoid creating more bad situations for yourself: Your every movement is
traceless.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:23
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.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:22
ADVERSITY
A tree hemmed in by giants
Requires tenacity to survive.
Times of adversity inevitably confront us all. We are denied
influence, people will not listen to what we have to say, and we are
restricted by circumstance. In this situation, followers of Tao must
rely on their determination. Without that, they cannot emerge
successfully from the danger.
During times of adversity, vision and determination decide the
outcome. Mere doggedness never served anyone well. Observe carefully,
and try to act. If you find yourself tested by the situation, take
comfort in the fact that adversity frequently forces one to consolidate
one's resources. You can often emerge from adversity stronger than
before. Don't be overcome by fear. Take calculated risks if you must, or
face danger if you have to. If your mind is focused to the utmost, you
will triumph.
Without the difficulty of being hemmed in, the tree in the forest
would not be forced to marshal its power to grow toward the light. It
must truly bring forth all its inner strength to spread its branches. If
it becomes grand, it is in part because of its suffering. Thus the times
of adversity can be crucial to the development of one's inner
personality.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:21
DIVISION
Problems cannot be
Resolved at once.
Slowly untie knots
Divide to conquer.
In order to solve problems, it is helpful to first understand
whether they are puzzle, obstacle, or entanglement. A puzzle need only
be analyzed carefully : It is like unraveling a ball of yarn and
requires patience more than anything else. An obstacle must be overcome
: We must use force and perseverance to either destroy or move away from
what is blocking us. An entanglement mires us in a maze of limitations :
This most dangerous of situations requires that we use all our resources
to extricate ourselves as quickly as possible.
No matter what the problem, however, it is important not to take the
thing on whole. Break it down into smaller, more easily handled
components. Most problematic situations are combinations of puzzles,
obstacles, and entanglements. By fracturing them into these more basic
elements, they can be managed easily. Even the greatest of difficulties
can be resolved when they are slowly reduced. Then the knots of life are
untied as easily as if we had a magic charm.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 26 Feb 2010 @ 01:20
MUTENESS
The more you dwell in the spirit,
The farther you are from common ways.
If you want to speak of Tao's wonders,
Few will listen.
If you spend a long period of time in study and self-cultivation,
you will enter Tao. By doing so, you also enter a world of extraordinary
perceptions. You experience unimaginable things, receive thoughts and
learning as if from nowhere, perceive things that could be classified as
prescient. Yet if you try to communicate what you experience, there is
no one to understand you, no one who will believe you. The more you walk
this road, the farther you are from the ordinary ways of society. You
may see the truth, but you will find that people would rather listen to
politicians, performers, and charlatans.
If you are known as a follower of Tao, people may seek you out, but
they are seldom the ones who will truly understand Tao. They are people
who would exploit Tao as a crutch. To speak to them of the wonders you
have seen is often to engage in a futile bout of miscommunication. That
is why it is said that those who know do not speak.
Why not simply stay quiet? Enjoy Tao as you will. Let others think
you are dumb. Inside yourself, you will know the joy of Tao's mysteries.
If you met someone who can profit by your experience, you should share.
But if you are merely a wanderer in a crowd of strangers, it is wisdom
to be silent.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 23 Feb 2010 @ 23:23
Taking a 90-minute nap the day of a test or presentation sounds like a ludicrous luxury. But a recent study on the brain's ability to recall facts found that napping at noon could mean a lot more brain power at 6 p.m.
see more More >
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 21 Feb 2010 @ 22:18
NONCONFORMITY
The world is dazzling,
I alone am dull.
Others strive for achievement,
I follow a lonely path.
Followers of Tao are nonconformists. The conventional label our
behavior erratic, antisocial, irresponsible, inexplicable, outrageous,
and sometimes scandalous. We hear other voices, respond to inner
urgings. We have no interest in the social norm; we only care about
following Tao. It does not matter if no one can understand us, for we
are nurtured by something most people do not sense. Awakening to this
inner urge, and distinguishing spiritual impulses from the merely
instinctual, is one of the crucial goals of self-cultivation.
We all have many voices, personalities, ambitions, and tendencies
within ourselves. The ability to distinguish between them, and the
ability to silence all the voices save for Tao's, is imperative if one
is to reach this state of being. Once one is in touch with the true Tao,
there are no doubts, and the murmuring of others cannot have any effect.
One is as comforted as a child at its mother's breast.
The more one walks in Tao, the more one is interested in
self-perfection. All that matters is constant cultivation to be with
Tao. This is a lonely path. There are others who follow Tao, but it is
not always possible to meet them. That is why is takes someone both
sensitive enough to hear the call and strong enough to walk the solitary
path.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 20 Feb 2010 @ 23:27
BEAUTY
Lavender roses.
Incarnate fragrance,
Priestly hue of dawn,
Spirit unfolding.
Even on the road to hell, flowers can make you smile. They are
fragile, ephemeral, uncompromising. No one can alter their nature. True,
you can easily destroy them, but you will not gain anything; you cannot
force them to submit to your will.
Flowers arouse in us an instinct to protect them, to appreciate
them, and to shelter them. This world is too ugly, too violent. There
should be something delicate to care about. To do so is to be lifted
above the brute and to go toward the refined. When we offer flowers on
our altar, we are offering a high gift. Money is too vulgar, food too
pedestrian. Only flowers are unsullied. By offering them, we offer
purity.
The tenderness of flowers arouses mercy, compassion, and
understanding. If that beauty is delicate, so much the better. Life
itself is fleeting. We should take the time to appreciate beauty in the
midst of temporality.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 19 Feb 2010 @ 14:38
INTERACTION
We make life real
By the thoughts we project.
The panorama of the objective world is meaningless until we interact
with it. For example, if there is a rock that we pass day after day but
we do not notice, then that rock has no significance for us. If we
decide to make that rock a votive object and pray to it for decades,
then that rock becomes quite important. To an outsider who does not
subscribe to the rock's assigned meaning, it will continue to be just a
rock. In all cases, the rock was just a rock. It was only human
interaction that created its meaning.
It is a mistake to assume that the meaning we give to something is
as concrete and tangible as the object itself. We should not confuse the
two. For example, our house may be precious to us, but our sense of
preciousness has nothing to do with the building -- it comes from the
values and memories we associate with it. If we lose our house, we must
remember that it is the feeling we have for it, not just the building
itself, that determines our loss.
If all perception of reality is subjective, some schools of thought
suggest that we should therefore see everything as unreal. By contrast,
followers of Tao maintain that we must still interact with the world. If
we do not take initiative and work with this phenomena of projecting
meaning and receiving its echoes, we fall into a state of dormancy, and
the world will not exist for us at all. As long as we remember that
meanings we attribute to objects are subjective, we will avoid mistakes.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 18 Feb 2010 @ 14:10
DEATH
Death is
The opposite
Of time.
We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories
about what will happen to us, but we don't really know. When a person
dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or
talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its
realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become
irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time.
What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body,
which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is
mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to
function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don't
know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.
What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the
constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is
merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we
called a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing
layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes
and decoration fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still
someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death
no longer bothers us. Nor does time.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 17 Feb 2010 @ 15:44
KNOWLEDGE
Life is
Beauty,
Terror,
Knowledge.
A crucial part of following Tao is seeking knowledge. All the
efforts of self-cultivation are meant to make us a fit vehicle for that
search. Sometimes what we learn is not pleasant. With learning, we
glimpse life as it really is, and that is difficult to bear. That is why
spiritual progress is slow : not because no one will tell us the
secrets, but because we ourselves must overcome sentiment and fear
before we can grasp it.
There is an underbelly of terror to all life. It is suffering, it is
hurt. Deep within all of us are intense fears that have left few of us
whole. Life's terrors haunt us, attack us, leave ugly cuts. To buffer
ourselves, we dwell on beauty, we collect things, we fall in love, we
desperately try to make something lasting in our lives. We take beauty
as the only worthwhile thing in this existence, but it cannot veil
cursing, violence, randomness, and injustice.
Only knowledge removes this fear. If we were shown the whole truth,
we could not stand it. Both lovely and horrible details make us human,
and when knowledge threatens to show us our follies, we may realize that
we are not yet ready to leave them behind. Then the veil closes again,
and we sit meditating before it, trying to prepare ourselves for the
moment when we dare to part the curtain completely.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 16 Feb 2010 @ 15:41
IMPERMANENCE
Tidal windstorm
Splits trees and rock,
Yet cannot last a day.
So much less, man's work.
When a storm hits, an entire ocean of wind and rain is spent upon
the land. Leaves are turned inside out, branches are torn, and even hard
granite is worn away. But such gales seldom last an entire day. In spite
of the tremendous amount of force that is released, the storm cannot
last.
If heaven's works cannot last a day, human works must be even less
lasting. Governments barely survive from year to year, the rules of
society are constantly being challenged, the family erodes, personal
relationships decay, and one's career topples. Even the monuments of the
world are now being destroyed by air pollution and neglect. Nothing
lasts. It is simple fact that no event set in motion by human beings
lasts forever.
All our efforts are temporary. They borrow from preexisting forces,
ride the current of natural events, and disappear according to the
dictates of the situation. It is best to realize the transitory nature
of things and work with it. Understanding the world's ephemeral nature
can be the biggest advantage of all.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 16 Feb 2010 @ 00:08
ORGANIZATION
Pattern and creativity
Are the two poles of action.
It is wise to plan each day. By setting goals for oneself and
organizing activities to be accomplished, one can be sure that each day
will be full and never wasted.
Followers of Tao use patterns when planning. They observe the ways
of nature, perceive the invisible lines of destiny. They imagine a
pattern for their entire lives, and in this way, they ensure overall
success. Each day, they match interim patterns against their master
goals, and so navigate life with sureness and grace. It is precisely
this ability to discern and manipulate patterns unknown to the ordinary
person that makes the follower of Tao so formidable.
When unpredictable things happen, those who follow Tao are also
skilled at improvisation. If circumstances deny them, they change
immediately. To avoid confusion, they still discern the patterns of the
situation and create new ones, much like a chess player at the board.
The spontaneous creation of new patterns is their ultimate art.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 15 Feb 2010 @ 04:34
CIRCULATION
Spirituality begins in the loins,
Ascends up the back,
And returns to the navel.
Spirituality is not just mental activity. It is also an expression
of energy.
The source of this energy is physical, rooted in the basic chemistry
of the body. Self-cultivation refines this energy for spiritual
attainment. Enlightenment, for a follower of Tao, is therefore a
psycho-physical achievement : It is a state of being rather than mere
intellectual understanding.
Once the energy is awakened through special exercises and
meditations, the follower of Tao knows how to draw this energy upward.
The force begins from the genitals and rises up the spine. On its way,
it nourishes the kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels. When it passes the
base of the skull, the nervous system and the lower parts of the brain
are stimulated. Reaching the crown, this river of energy opens the
entire subconscious potential of a human being. Descending downward, it
nourishes the eyes, the senses, the vital organs. Cascading toward the
navel, it returns us to our original state of purity. From there, it
returns to the loins again, ready to be drawn into another circuit. Just
as all existence operates on a continuum between gross physical matter
and the most subtle levels of consciousness, so too does the follower of
Tao utilize all parts of body, mind, and spirit for spiritual devotion.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 15 Feb 2010 @ 04:20
STRETCHING
When young, things are soft.
When old, things are brittle.
Stretching -- both literally and metaphorically -- is a necessary
part of life.
Physically, a good program of stretching emphasizes all parts of the
body. You loosen the joints and tendons first, so that subsequent
movements will not hurt. Then methodically stretch the body, beginning
with the larger muscle groups such as the legs and back, and proceed to
finer and smaller parts like the fingers. Coordinate stretching with
breathing; use long and gentle stretches rather than bouncing ones. When
you stretch in one direction, always be sure to stretch in the opposite
direction as well. If you follow this procedure, your flexibility will
undoubtedly increase.
Metaphorical stretching leads to expansion and flexibility in
personal growth. A young plant is tender and pliant. An older is stiff,
woody, and vulnerable to breaking. Softness is thus equated with life,
hardness with death. The more flexible you are, the greater your mental
and physical health.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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12 Feb 2010 @ 22:45
PERSEVERANCE
Invisible lines.
The fisherman repairs his net
And the fish are nearly caught.
If a fisherman does not have a properly repaired net, then his trip
is useless. Preparation is the major part of his endeavor. Only when the
fisherman keeps his nets intact, keeps his boat repaired, and studies
the conditions of fish and water does going out to fish become a mere
formality. Then fish fall into his hands as if guided by invisible
lines.
When it seems as if nothing encouraging is happening to us, it is
important to remember such perseverance. Work may be drudgery,
maintaining a home may be routine, and we may find our goals quite
distant. But we must persevere and prepare nevertheless. That will bring
a steady pace toward our goals, and buoy our faith in rough and
threatening times.
To taste the fruit of perseverance requires maturity and experience.
We need to cultivate patience, planning and timing. We build our
resources even when circumstances seem to be against us. We don't
neglect anything we have set in motion. If we nurse our plans through
good times and bad, our plans will eventually succeed with the
inevitability of fish caught in a net.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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 11 Feb 2010 @ 14:40
WALKING
Trail beside stream,
Fragrant pine.
Rocky red earth,
Steep mountain.
Walking may be a good metaphor for spiritual life, but there are
times when simple hiking is literally the best activity. When one walks
in the woods or climbs mountains, there is a wonderful unity of body,
mind, and spirit. Hiking strengthens the legs, increases stamina,
invigorates the blood, and soothes the mind. Away from the madness of
society, one is freed to observe nature's lessons.
Erosion. Gnarled roots. The carcass of a dead deer. A flight of
swallows. The high spirals of hawks. Bladed reflections of rushing
water. Just budding bare branches. Gray rock, cracked, shattered, and
worn. A fallen tree. A lone cloud. The laughter of plum branches. Even a
little circle of rocks beside the trail -- who put them there, or did
any hand arrange them, and no matter which, what are the secrets of that
circle?
There are a thousand meanings in every view, if only we open
ourselves to see the scripture of the landscape.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 11 Feb 2010 @ 03:52
A situation has come to me, sadly, I really dislike being in this position, and I find no way to escape except head on.I am forced to defend myself, which will cause injury to another party, who has attacked me. Their injuries will be from my defense from their initial attacks. Still I wish not to be no one to cost them suffering and pain . I find I have no other choice except to pay their behavior , which I find totally unacceptable. More >
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 11 Feb 2010 @ 01:23
RESOLUTION
Footsteps in the sand
Quickly washed away:
The seashore mind.
Going to the beach means walking in fresh air, listening to the
sound of waves, feeling the grit of sand beneath our feet. The narrow
ribbon between land and ocean is a perfect place to understand the mind
of wisdom. Just as there is a dynamic balance between sand and water, so
too is there a dynamic equilibrium between the quiescent and active
sides of our minds. Just as the sand is constantly being washed, so too
should we keep our minds free of lingering impressions.
We often let thoughts, regrets, doubts from past activities carry
over into the present. This leads us to conflict. Instead of allowing
this to happen, we should act without leaving consequences. This
requires great thoroughness. Such completeness is challenging, but to
succeed is to live perfectly. By resolving the problems of each day to
our utmost satisfaction, we attain the sublime purity of a beach
constantly washed by waves.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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 10 Feb 2010 @ 02:25
SUBCONSCIOUS
Heaven and hell;
Our subconscious.
Meditation opens seldom glimpsed areas of our subconscious. When
that happens, extraordinary thoughts and awareness come to us with
seeming spontaneity. We realize truths that were opaque to us before; we
perceive events that were previously too distant. But no one ever became
superhuman because of meditation. They only opened their own latent
potential. Everything is locked inside of us and need only be opened.
That is why it is said that heaven is within us.
In the same way, the pains and the struggles of the past sometimes
haunt us with astounding vehemence. Problems and conflicts are difficult
to exorcise. Although we may practice spirituality and move on to new
endeavors and relationships, past hurts still come back in our memories
and dreams. These are not demons from another world, nor are they karmic
manifestations of previous lives; they are scars in our subconscious. No
matter how diligently we try to make progress, there still are pains
that curse us day after day. This is why it is said that hell is within
us.
We ourselves are the battleground for good and evil. There is no
need to look beyond our world. Everything to be understood is within us.
All that must be transcended -- the pains and scars of the past -- is
within us. All the power of transcendence is also within us. Tap into it
and you tap into the divine itself.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao More >
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9 Feb 2010 @ 06:29
* Regular soda drinkers had 87 percent higher risk
* Theory is that sugar fuels tumors
WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer, an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement.
Insulin, which helps the body metabolize sugar, is made in the pancreas.
Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said.
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviors such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can't accurately control for."
Other studies have linked pancreatic cancer to red meat, especially burned or charred meat.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is about 5 percent.
Some researchers believe high sugar intake may fuel some forms of cancer, although the evidence has been contradictory. Tumor cells use more glucose than other cells.
One 12-ounce (355 ml) can of non-diet soda contains about 130 calories, almost all of them from sugar. (Editing by John O'Callaghan)
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Promise Yourself —
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble |
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