Seeing the small is insight. ~Dao De Jing I don’t know what insight I gained, but I spent almost an hour this morning just looking out the back window at the birds and the squirrels. My desk looks out over the backyard. While I was attending to things on my computer this morning, I looked […]
Every time I drive to my forest cabin in the mountains, I pass a hand painted wooden sign nailed to a tree that says “Wake up, America!” While I don’t necessarily agree with the sentiments of the person who posted this sign, I do support the idea of inviting people to wake up. Spiritual teacher
Rest in peace. This is something we often say to or about the dearly departed. It’s a lovely sentiment, so lovely that I wonder why we wish it exclusively to those who have died. Wouldn’t it be nice to rest in peace while we’re still alive? Some might respond with the familiar saying “I can
Stories have power. We all know this. Jesus taught love in parables. Aesop’s wisdom was embedded in fables. Biographers tell life stories. Stories touch our hearts, tickle our funnybones, challenge us, inform us, inspire us. And sometimes stories entrap us. I have listened over the last year to one person’s stories about me, stories that
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Contentment is subversive. That might sound like an odd statement in the midst of angry protests, marches, boycotts, rallies, and disruptions. But think about it. Our integrated systems of politics, religion, economics, law, and healthcare are all based, in one way or another, on discontent. Our economy, to take one example, is driven by consumerism.
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For by their fruits you shall know them. ~Matthew 7:16 The Bible teaches that we know who people are by their fruits. I’ve been thinking about that lately. By what characteristics do we measure people? What are the qualities manifested by those we hold up as beacons of holiness or enlightenment? What are the attributes
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When pushed and pulled to make differentiationsSimply say “Not two” This quote is from a 5th century Buddhist poem by Sengan, Third Chinese Chan Patriarch, translated by Dan G. Reid in The Thread of Dao. The words reach across the centuries as the perfect reminder for today, election day in the United States, a day
One of the things I did last year to sustain me during some challenging times was to create my own inspiration cards. I got some multi-colored index cards, some pens with various colors of ink, and a box. Then I started writing down quotes, poems, thoughts, verses, whatever caught my attention and provided inspiration, encouragement,
Do-It-Yourself Inspiration Read More »
I ran across this phrase recently. It caught my attention because I love the word abide. Looking up its etymology, I found that it carries with it a sense of “waiting onward.” I loved that too. Not waiting passively or impatiently, but with an attitude of alert attention, open receptivity, readiness to engage fully with
I haven’t had a word of the year for a decade. In an illustration of cosmic humor of the universe, my last word of the year was in 2013 and my word was “wait.” But as 2013 came to a close, no new word came for 2014. Now, ten years later, as 2023 drew to
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One of the images often used to describe Dao, or a person who is aligned with Dao, is the Chinese character 朴 . It means simple, pure, in the original or basic state. It literally means an uncarved block of wood. In that uncarved block are many possible forms that might emerge under the carver’s
Living with Beginner’s Mind in an Expert World Read More »
It’s that time of year, at least in the temperate climes of the northern hemisphere. As we approach winter solstice, health is in our awareness more than usual this year. Some of us are getting our flu shots and Covid boosters. Health concerns are now part of our plans for holiday travel and getting together
Breathing a Blessing to My Body Read More »
While visiting a gorgeous Japanese garden, I noticed a young man squatting in a patch of grass with his back toward me. I couldn’t see what he was doing so I asked a nearby employee, who explained to me that he was cutting the grass with a small pair of scissors. I walked around the