Daily Tao / 001 – Beginning

On By myunfablifeIn Daily Tao MeditationsLeave a comment

the_beginning_by_marc_adamus

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.

In the beginning, all things are hopeful. We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment : our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.

In order to start, we must make a decision. This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life’s travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life.

Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response. It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive. In the same way, once we choose to commit ourselves to spiritual practice, even the mountains and valleys will reverberate to the sound of our purpose.

photo credit: Marc Adamus – The Beginning

Daily Tao / 1 – Beginning

On By myunfablifeIn Daily Tao Meditations, Deng Ming-DaoLeave a comment

开始

man-walking-down-road-alone-640x376

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.

In the beginning, all things are hopeful. We prepare ourselves to start anew. Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment : our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.

In order to start, we must make a decision. This decision is a commitment to daily self-cultivation. We must make a strong connection to our inner selves. Outside matters are superfluous. Alone and naked, we negotiate all of life’s travails. Therefore, we alone must make something of ourselves, transforming ourselves into the instruments for experiencing the deepest spiritual essence of life.

Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response. It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive. In the same way, once we choose to commit ourselves to spiritual practice, even the mountains and valleys will reverberate to the sound of our purpose.

Resolutions , or how I’ve given up and am learning to live with myself …

On By myunfablifeIn My Rants and RamblingsLeave a comment

I will…

1) I will give up chocolates – totally. 100%. Completely. Honestly!
2) Stop drinking orange juice after I just brushed my teeth.
3) Stop licking frozen flag poles.
4) Watch more movie remakes.
5) Watch less T.V…. in standard definition
6) Switch my username to “password” and my password to “username” to make each a lot harder for hackers to figure out
7) Help kids stay safe by not texting on my cell phone while eating McDonald’s and speeding through crosswalks in school zones with a frost covered windshield
8) Keep it to myself that I have trouble with authority when I’m being interviewed.
9) Spend less than $1825 for coffee at Starbucks this year.
10) Claim all my pets as dependents on my taxes

Daily Tao – 365 / Continuation

On By myunfablifeIn Daily Tao MeditationsLeave a comment

Upon completion comes fulfillment.
With fulfillment comes liberation.
Liberation allows you to go on.
Even death is not a true ending.
Life is infinite continuation.

Always finish what you start. That alone is discipline and wisdom enough. If you can follow that rule, then you will be superior to most people.When you come to the end of a cycle, a new one will begin. You might say that completion actually begins somewhere in the middle of a cycle and that new beginnings are engendered out of previous actions.

Completing a cycle means fulfillment. It means that you have achieved self-knowledge, discipline, and a new way of understanding yourself and the world around you. You cannot stop there, of course. New horizons are always there. But you can reach out for those new vistas with fresh assurance and wisdom.

With each turn of the wheel you go further. With each turn of the wheel you free yourself from the mire of ignorance. With each turn of the wheel comes continuation.

Turn the wheel of your life. Make complete revolutions. Celebrate every turning. And persevere with joy.

Britekite – iRovr – Share

On By myunfablifeIn reviewsLeave a comment

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Once upon a time there was Britekite. A fun little (local) social media/sharing site that was one of the, if not the best, on the ‘net. Then someone got greedy and sold it and the powers-that-be decided that the best thing for a location-based check-in app was to take away the ability to check in.  R.I.P. Britekite.      Enter iRovr and drama.I quickly left iRovr for a myriad of reasons, not the least being that I didn’t really enjoy interacting with the community that formed there.

But  a couple of days ago a friend invited me to try Share. Share? Yes Share. I’d never heard of it I told him, it’s the old iRovr he said. I patiently explained all of my reservations about iRovr, chiefly that supposedly “private” streams were hardly anything but and was told that this was new and improved. Much better. So I joined.
I should have realized that things wouldn’t go smoothly when the helpful intro screen said ( I paraphrase) “welcome, things are going to seem pretty confusing at first, but give it some time”. This “app” is a mess. There is no logical rhyme or reason to how things are laid out. It takes 4-5 screens or button pushes to get to a comment screen after you receive a notification. When grumbling about this in-app you get “just start pushing buttons, it’ll all make sense after a while”. Well it shouldn’t have “make sense” after a while. While I’m no dope and I can figure out pretty much anything, I don’t really have the time or inclination to waste figuring out this thread or where that comment is. There are too many other social-networking sites that are a breeze to use, super intuitive and have great built-in communities. If you can’t make one that that’s going to be different ( in a good way ) why bother. Just because everyone from an old service gravitated to this one doesn’t make it good, sheep people.
The old Britekite magic was there for the taking, sadly you missed the brass ring and came up with a handful of air …

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Daily Tao / 364 – Morning

On By myunfablifeIn Daily Tao MeditationsLeave a comment

Image

Morning.
New day.
Joy of birth.

All we need is the morning. As long as there is sunrise, then there is the possibility that we can face all our misfortunes, celebrate all our blessings, and live all our endeavors as human beings. Spirituality is something that has become necessary in these troubled times. Yet it is inherently superfluous. We need it to remind ourselves, to bolster ourselves, to integrate ourselves, to fulfill ourselves. If we could simply acknowledge the mystery of night and the glory of morning, we would need neither civilization nor spirituality.

At its simplest, life begins with dawn. That is blessing enough. That is happiness enough. All else becomes fullness immeasurable. At dawn, kneel down and give thanks to this wonderful event. We may think mornings are so common that they are unworthy of veneration, but do you realize most places in the cosmos do not have mornings? This daily event is our supreme goodness.

Greet the dawn. That is your miracle to witness. That is the ultimate beauty. That is sacredness. That is your gift from heaven. That is your omen of prophesy. That is knowledge that life is not futile. That is enlightenment. That is your meaning in life. That is your directive. That is your comfort. That is the solemnity of duty. That is inspiration for compassion. That is the light of the ultimate.