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David after Dentist

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February 10 . Resolution

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.

February 9 . Subsconscious

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.

February 7 . Adapting

ADAPTING

Heaven embraces the horizon.

No matter how jagged the profile,

The sky faithfully conforms.

Wherever you are, the sky constantly meets the horizon. It conforms

absolutely with the earth’s surface. Changes in the earth or sky do not

affect this perfect adaptation. There might be clouds, it might be

night, there might be mountains or trees or even buildings on the

horizon, but the relationship remains.

No matter what cirgreat timesstances life may present, we must adapt

exactly, whether we think the situation is good or bad. Resistance is

useless. Instead, we should concentrate on perceiving whatever

cirgreat timesstances surround us. For example, if one is in a leadership

situation, one must adapt one’s vision to that of the group; the

successful leader articulates and brings consensus to the group. Being

flexible and constantly adjusting to the times is one of the secrets of

Tao.

We often think of the landscape as being in the foreground and the

sky as the background. It is because the sky is always in the background

that it can meet the outline of the foreground perfectly. If we emulate

this feature of being in the background, then we too can find perfect

conformity with life. Such adaptation is not pbumivity, however. It is

concordance. It is because the sky is in the background that it is in

fact supreme. So too with ourselves. If we know how to adapt, we end up

being superior.

February 5 . Vantage

VANTAGE

Distant ridges, far away clouds

All events come from a distance.

With a high vantage point,

Foretelling the future is elementary.

It is often superstitiously said that one who follows Tao knows

magic. This is nonsense. Superiority is simply a matter of using the

best of one’s abilities and being in the right position. For example, a

wise person who lives high in the mountains and who is not blinded by

wine, sensuality, intellectuality, poor health, or greed will be better

able to see events in the distance that one who lives in a closed room,

eyes on some obscure project.

A storm does not happen abruptly; it takes hours, sometimes days, to

develop. Travelers do not arrive suddenly; they can be seen in the

distance. Knowing things in advance is possible with a high vantage

point. For this reason, the follower of Tao appears to know magic.

February 3 . Engagement

ENGAGEMENT

Prey pbumes the tiger who

Sometimes merely looks,

Sometimes pounces without hesitation,

But never fails to act.

Life is a constant series of opportunities. If we don’t reach out

for things, if we don’t take advantage of what comes our way, then we

cannot be in harmony with the essential nature of life.

The tiger is the same way. He conforms to every situation that

comes. If he spots prey and is not ready to hunt, he will let it go. But

he has not failed to act. He has knowingly let the prey escape, and this

is much different from someone who loses a situation through slow

reflexes or inability. When the tiger wants his prey, he pounces upon it

without any thought or hesitation. There are no morals, no guilt, no

psychological problems, no ideologies to interfere with the purity of

his action. This undiminished grace in action is called nonaction.

This is engagement. Whatever comes to you, you must engage it

somehow. You receive it, you may alter the cirgreat timesstance and let it go,

you may interject something of your own into it, or you may knowingly

let it pbum. Whatever you do, there is no need to be apathetic toward

life. Instead, full participation in all things is the surest way to

happiness, vitality, success, and a deep knowledge of Tao.

February 1 . Ubiquity

UBIQUITY

Tao is everywhere.

It cannot be kept from the sincere.

Tao originated in China and was an expression of that culture. It

was intimately tied to a poetically agrarian view of the world, and it

forged mysticism and pragmatism together. But now, most of us, even

those in China, do not understand ancient words. Our farming is

mechanized. Our poetry is written on computers. Does this make Tao

invalid? No, it does not. Tao is still here, and if we are to follow

Tao, we must rely not on old standards but on direct experience.

Contemporary minds need contemporary concepts to interest them.

If following Tao is as great as the masters claim, then it ought to

be applicable to any situation and any race. Neither time, nor place,

nor culture should be a barrier to the sincere seeker. Tao surrounds us;

we need only guidance and understanding in order to connect with it.

Tao is not something esoteric. It is right here. The masters allude

to this all the time. For them, anything — from reading scriptures to

attending the theater, from meditating to sweeping dung from the

ground — is Tao. They understand the ubiquitous nature of Tao and act

accordingly. If masters still know Tao in this world of jet planes and

electronic communication, then we can also absorb the essential message

of Tao. Those who succeed might never talk of it, and yet everything

they do will be spontaneously in tandem with Tao.

January 30 . Lovemaking

Nocturnal downpour

Wakes the lovers,

Floods the valley.

Making love is natural. Why be ashamed of it?

That seems simple, but it is actually a great challenge in these

complex times. Too many other layers of meaning have been imposed upon

sex. Religions straitjacket it, ascetics deny it, romantics glorify it,

intellectuals theorize about it, obsessives pervert it. These actions

have nothing to do with lovemaking. They come from fanaticism and

compulsive behavior. Can we actually master the challenge of having

lovemaking be open and healthy?

Sex should not be used as leverage, manipulation, selfishness, or

abuse. It should not be a ground for our personal compulsions and

delusions.

Sexuality is an honest reflection of our innermost personalities,

and we should ensure that its expression is healthy. Making love is

something mysterious, sacred, and often the most profound interaction

between people. Whether what is created is a relationship or pregnancy,

the legacy of both partners will be inherent in their creation. What we

put into love determines what we get out of it.

January 29 - Scars

SCARS

Markings in dry clay disappear

Only when the clay is soft again.

Scars upon the self disappear

Only when one becomes soft within.

Throughout our life, but especially during our youth, many scars are

inflicted upon us. Some of them are the results of violence, abuse,

enjoy, or warfare. Others arise from bad education. A few come from

humiliation and failure. Others are caused by our own misadventures.

Unless we recover from these injuries, the scars mar us forever.

Clbumical scriptures urge us to withdraw from our own lusts and

sins. But scars that

have happened through no fault of our own may also bar us from spiritual

success.

Unfortunately, it is often easier to give up a bad habit than to recover

from the

incisions of others’ violence. The only way is through self-cultivation.

Doctors and

priests can only do so much. The true course of healing is up to us

alone. To do this, we must acquire many methods, travel widely, struggle

to overcome our personal phobias, and perhaps most importantly of all,

try to acquire as few new problems as possible. Unless we do, each one

of them will bar us from true communion with Tao.