2010-03-18T15:22:38Z User 228 http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/ OrgSpace NewsLog

Dispel time And you will Dispel fate. Fate is the force that interferes with our lives, wrecking things at the worst moments. Yet what we call fate is nothing more than the consequence of our own actions. Each time we act, we generate a chain of events that is tied to us completely. The fa...

Dispel time
And you will
Dispel fate.


Fate is the force that interferes with our lives, wrecking things at the worst moments. Yet what we call fate is nothing more than the consequence of our own actions. Each time we act, we generate a chain of events that is tied to us completely. The faster we run from these links, the faster they follow us. They cannot be severed; our every act binds us further.
The operative element here is time. The events of the past are the curse. Beginning followers of Tao learn to manipulate past, present, and future. They learn how circumstances operate and seek to take advantage of that. More advanced followers of Tao eschew this process of manipulation. They obliterate all regard to past, present, and future as definitions in order to negate the concept of fate.

In order to attain a state of being where there is no past to weigh upon the present and no future to be determined, followers of Tao must reach a profound merging with Tao. The follower then acts no differently than Tao would. There is no fate to oppose them, for they are existence, they are causality, they are Tao itself.


365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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What exactly is meditation? You can reach the realm of meditation by emptying yourself, while allowing the universe to fill the void. This is the meaning of all those interesting quotes you find on the box of Meditative Time tea made by the Yogi Tea brand. To reach a deep state of meditation is...

What exactly is meditation? You can reach the realm of meditation by emptying yourself, while allowing the universe to fill the void. This is the meaning of all those interesting quotes you find on the box of Meditative Time tea made by the Yogi Tea brand.

To reach a deep state of meditation is to reach a state of true freedom successfully. First, you must release the negative tension and relaxing, much like having a nice hot cup of tea, especially the kind that has you going, mmmm. Remember, the best mantra is not the one you do rather it is the one that does you.

Meditation assists us in evolving to the sound of a perfect being, which is mmmm. This is symbolic of the Norse Rune, Mannaz, which is a capital M that has an x on the top of its two vertical lines, instead of a v at the top like a regular M. These represent our legs. Polarities unite at the center of this x. The place in our bodies this refers to is the area of the belly or midriff. This place is earth or Midgard, in the spiritual cosmology of the Norse. As a visual meditation, you can visualize a red Mannaz, which represents the energy of fire. Simply meditate while gazing at its center.

One method for relaxing it to focus attention on your breathing, simply sit somewhere comfortable and quiet, with good posture and pay attention to your breathing. However, do not merely notice your breathing rather love every single breath you take in. Experience with the air you breathe, while your belly expands with air coming in and your belly contracting as your release the air. The belly signifies the heart, as in pumping rich red blood and stimulating the air.

Concentrate on the Hara, which is the belly. Do this for a while, and then focus on your navel. This was once your source of life when connected with your mother. The belly protects and nurtures new life while being transformed into a human child. The belly is the place of harmony and spiritual beginnings, which find nourishment, materialization and release. It is the earth, a spiritual center within the universe; it is a crown jewel of creation. Here all elements join. As humans, we can consciously go back into the belly, while allowing the developmental process to continue into a rebirthing. This is a great thing.

Alchemical Taoism considers the area just beneath the navel is your power center or the Elixir Field, Tan Tien or Cauldron. To find your power center, stand and move your body from side to side and back and forth. This is your center of gravity. Once you find it, stop and be still, concentrate on this area. You may experience a feeling of heat in this location. Heat is both a rejuvenating and soothing energy. You will take pleasure in every move when you are doing things, since you radiate this energy. Many individuals achieve this by practicing Tai Chi.

By our busy minds, while worrying or thinking we become disconnected and ungrounded. How do you escape the hectic ramblings within your mind? You can consciously go to your center, the belly. Remember all powers circle around the belly or earth. This is the seat of passion, which contains the essence of life. Since everything connects to the center, it makes sense that you go to your center for connection. All become the now, past, present and future. As earth and heaven unite and the yin and yang balance in paradise as does the God and Goddess. In our deepest sleep, this is where we go. We may not remember our experiences of complete and utter ecstasy when we arise. We feel refreshing energy on a new day, because of its influence.

An old parable tells us that the angels held the responsibility of hiding the key to paradise. Rather than being hidden within the depths of the mountains, the oceans or in outer space, they hid the key within our own bellies. They figured here we would never think to look.

To find our center of the universe, we must go within. As we go into our center, we emerge into the universe. We find our center is within and without, while our limits are boundless. As we allow the universe to take us, be become the universe, there is no separate self. Here we surrender what we are to transform into our destiny.

How can you blend into the universe? Make yourself some tea. While you are making tea, the herbs infuse themselves into the water. When you drink it, you experience a bit of joy. When you place yourself into the fiery energy of your belly, you are infusing yourself with the multi-dimensional universe. When you get especially good at it, you experience Nirvana. This is meditation, relax and let it happen.
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000731.htm 2010-03-17T13:00:16Z 2010-03-17T13:00:16Z

SANCTITY Every soul is inviolable, Any thought 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 t...

SANCTITY

Every soul is inviolable,
Any thought 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 by 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.




365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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BREAKTHROUGH Lake shadows color of cold, Willow branches weep ice. Swan rises dazzling in the sunlight. After long self-cultivation, one's accumulated energy reaches a threshold and then bursts out full, breathing, and vibrant. Without the careful building of momentum, this momen...

BREAKTHROUGH

Lake shadows color of cold,
Willow branches weep ice.
Swan rises dazzling in the sunlight.



After long self-cultivation, one's accumulated energy reaches a
threshold and then bursts out full, breathing, and vibrant. Without the
careful building of momentum, this moment of release would never have
been possible. With long years of preparation and experience, the
freeing of the soul will not be mere dissipation but will be so strongly
focused that it lifts one into a higher state of awareness. When one's
spiritual energy emerges, it feels like a swan rising from the water.

Once you have reached this level of stored energy, you will be a
different person. On one hand, you may take genuine comfort in the point
of attainment that you have made. On the other hand, you now see all the
other possibilities that remain for you to explore.

With the emergence of great possibilities comes the need for
responsibility. If you diverge from your life's path in order to explore
new vistas, remember how far you are flying, and remember to return at
the proper times. Only you can decide how to arrange your life. Once you
are a strong flier, you must still use wisdom to direct your flight.



365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000729.htm 2010-03-17T12:58:21Z 2010-03-17T12:58:21Z

AFFIRMATION 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?...

AFFIRMATION

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.



365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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DISCOVERY Seize the mountain spirits, Make them divulge their secrets. Only with strength is there discovery. The scriptures say that the mountains contain the answers. Generations of seekers have gone into the wilderness and have encountered spirits both benevolent and terrible. T...

DISCOVERY

Seize the mountain spirits,
Make them divulge their secrets.
Only with strength is there discovery.


The scriptures say that the mountains contain the answers.
Generations of seekers have gone into the wilderness and have
encountered spirits both benevolent and terrible. Though the possibility
of great discovery is mixed with the threat of misadventure, we must all
go into the mountains to seek these answers.

We should understand that these mountains represent the unknown
aspects of our own minds. Meditation is a process of discovery, of
slowly exploring how you function as a human being. Through walking in
the vastness of this land, you can resolve the problems of your psyche
and seek the treasures buried in your soul. Like actual mountain
exploration, this process is not without danger. Failure means falling
into insanity and obsession. Success is to find treasures without
comparison anywhere in the world.

People ask, "Is meditation necessary?" If you want to explore the
innermost parts of your mind and ascertain who you really are, there is
no more ideal method. Mere introspection is not deep enough, and
psychological counseling will not necessarily bring you face to face
with all parts of yourself. Only the depth and solitude of meditation
can help you learn everything. Discoveries are there. We need only enter
the mind to find them.


365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000727.htm 2010-03-13T22:10:07Z 2010-03-13T22:10:07Z

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 b...

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]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000726.htm 2010-03-12T04:09:04Z 2010-03-12T04:09:04Z

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-suf...

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]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000725.htm 2010-03-12T04:06:57Z 2010-03-12T04:06:57Z

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...

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
]]> http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v228/__show_article/_a000228-000724.htm 2010-03-09T02:15:11Z 2010-03-09T02:15:11Z

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 o...

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
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