this week on my iPhone –
The Haunted Windchimes – Out With the Crow
Month: July 2013
Chuck & Beans
delete, delete, delete, delete ….
Flashback Friday
Yello – Oh Yeah
Daily Tao / 193 – Immediacy
When washing your face, can you see your true self?
When urinating, can you remember true purity?
When eating, can you remember the cycles of all things?
When walking, can you feel the rotation of heaven?
When working, are you happy with what you do?
When speaking, are your words without guile?
When you shop, are you aware of your needs?
When you meet the suffering, do you help?
When confronted with death, are you unafraid and lucid?
When you meet conflict, do you work toward harmony?
When with your family, do you express benevolence?
When raising children, are you tender but firm?
When facing problems, are you far-seeing and tenacious?
When you are finished with work, do you take time to rest?
When preparing for rest, do you know how to settle your mind?
When sleeping, do you slip into absolute void?
Daily Tao / 192 – Austerities
Self-discipline leads to higher spiritual states
Only if practiced with understanding.
The clearer the goal,
The greater the result.
We must distinguish between discipline with a purpose and blind discipline. Discipline with a purpose is merely a means to an end and is healthy. Blind discipline does not have a true purpose and so becomes fanaticism. In the past, there were many spiritual people who believed in harsh asceticism. They would flog themselves, live in cold and damp caves, twist themselves into uncomfortable postures, fast for dangerous periods of time. All too often, these people lost sight of their goals. We must be strongly disciplined, but we must not lose sight of our inner meaning.
Austere living with a clear understanding of why and how we are doing things does not require esoteric practices. Few of us mind going through extra effort and even hardship if we know that we will gain something better for it. That is all that discipline and austerity are about : You make extra efforts to gain a better life.
Daily Tao / 191 – Fields
Worship by cultivating nine fields :
Diet. Herbs. Clothing. Recitation.
Movement. Meditation. Creativity. Teaching.
And most important : Compassion.
Worship is not a matter of making an obeisance to a god. It is a matter of achieving godlike qualities in yourself. This is done through the cultivation of nine areas :
Diet should be moderate, healthy, and of living foods. If you want to be sustained, eat things that themselves sustained life.
Learn to use herbs, for they heal and maintain health
Be moderate in your clothing; wear natural fibers. What you wear is an expression of your state of mind
Recitation includes prayer, song, chanting, and finally, the practice of silence. What you say becomes reality
Stretch, move, and exercise every day. The universe moves; so too should the energy within your body
Meditate every day — once in the morning and once in the evening, if possible. Only then will you attain tranquility and triumph over your dilemmas
Be creative. Thus we contribute, and thus we elevate our souls
Acquire a good education. Treasure what you learn, and preserve it so that it may be passed on to others. Never be selfish with what you know
Above all, be compassionate. This is a stand against all evil, and it opens your spirit
People ask, “How can I worship properly?” Cultivate these nine fields
Daily Tao / 190 – Nonyielding
When in the arena,
Yield not to an aggressor.
When outside the arena,
Affirm compassion.
This world and this society are competitive. Tao uses the metaphor of the warrior to meet that competition. Warriors never yield to their opponents. They may sidestep, but they do not give way.
Whether you are a lawyer, police officer, fire fighter, doctor, businessperson, athlete, or any one of numerous other professions, you compete against either other people or natural forces. But there is a right way and a wrong way to compete. Avoid anger and greed. Use concentration and awareness.
Coincidentally, concentration and awareness are also necessary for spirituality. That is why the follower of Tao incorporates the way of the warrior into training. The warrior and the sage both seek to transcend emotion and petty thinking, to perfect themselves, and to live lives of the deepest truth.
But when outside the arena, do not forget to be kind. Leave behind competitive aggression. You must still have awareness, concentration, and reflex, but the expression will be different. Your compassion must not falter. That is why the combination of the way of the warrior with the way of Tao is the ultimate symbol of versatility. Such a follower of Tao commands the extremes of the universe.
Daily Tao / 189 – Victory
Can you be both martial and spiritual?
Can you overcome your ultimate opponent?
To be martial requires discipline, courage, and perseverance. It has nothing to do with killing. People fail to look beyond this one narrow aspect of being a warrior and so overlook all the other excellent qualities that can be gained from training. A warrior is not a cruel murderer. A warrior is a protector of ideals, principle, and honor. A warrior is noble and heroic.
A warrior will have many opponents in a lifetime, but the ultimate opponent is the warrior’s own self. Within a fighter’s personality are a wide array of demons to be conquered : fear, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, egotism, and so many more. To talk of overpowering other people is inconsequential. To actually overcome one’s own defects is the true nature of victory. That is why so many religions depict warriors in their iconography. These images are not symbols for dominating others. Rather, they are symbols of the ferocity and determination that we need to overcome the demons within
Daily Tao / 188 – Caring
Don’t go out looking for good deeds to do,
But if one comes your way, do not refuse.
If you meet someone who is suffering,
You must help them.
What good is self-cultivation and wisdom if you just keep it for yourself? Knowledge is meant to be used, and if you can use it on behalf of others, you should.
There was once a man who prayed daily to a particular god among many in the temple. Eventually, he noticed that the incense he lit drifted over all — other gods were getting the benefit of his efforts! He built a paper cone over the incense burner so that all the smoke would be directed right at the nose of his god. Unfortunately, this turned the face of his god black with soot.
Those who follow Tao believe in using sixteen attributes on behalf of others : mercy, gentleness, patience, nonattachment, control, skill, joy, spiritual love, humility, reflection, restfulness, seriousness, effort, controlled emotion, magnanimity, and concentration. Whenever you need to help another, draw upon these qualities. Notice that self-sacrifice is not included in this list. You do not need to destroy yourself to help another. Your overall obligation is to complete your own journey along your personal Tao. As long as you can offer solace to others on your same path, you have done the best that you can.
my mostly unfabulous life 