“these are the values and traditions that I believe in”

the obama presidential center

 

You are America.

Unconstrained by habit and convention.

Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be.

For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken,

there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed.

America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful

word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall

Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one.

It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we

are given to continually try to improve

this great nation of ours.

 

Barack Obama

 


 

the presence of things as they are

javier vallhonrat

 

Break open a single

particle and all the sutras grow clear:

the great merit-wheel of the dharma turns as a whole.

The womb of a donkey gives birth to the noble horse.

Each time you look, you’ll see it new.

 

For zazen, a quiet room is suitable.

Eat and drink moderately. Cast aside all involvements

and cease all affairs. Do not think good or bad. Do not administer

pros and cons. Cease all the movements of the conscious mind,

the gauging of all thoughts and views. Have no designs on

becoming a buddha. Zazen has nothing whatever

to do with sitting or lying down.

 

Think of not thinking.

How do you think of not-thinking? Without thinking.

This in itself is the essential art of zazen. The zazen I speak of is not

learning meditation. It is simply the dharma-gate of repose and

bliss, the cultivation-authentication of totally culminated

enlightenment. It is the presence of

things as they are.

 

Dogen

fukan zazengi

 

seeing all the way through things

the southern lights are shimmering

 

By seeing

all the way through

things we are able to perceive

the perfection of existence. The

foreground of mind is noisy chatter,

but by simply watching that with

discipline and perseverance, we

see it quiet. In its place arises

a vast, silent, illuminated

emptiness.

 

So

also with life.

The foreground is rife

with suffering and difficulty,

but by doing non-doing and

quietly observing, we

become aware of

its purity.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 10

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progress is won through discipline

konstantin tronin

 

Lasting progress is won 

through quiet self-discipline.

 

This hexagram outlines the foundation of proper conduct within ourselves, with those with whom we may have conflicts, and within the larger society. It serves to remind us that no genuine gains can be made unless we are rooted firmly in the principles of the Sage.

An image often associated with this hexagram is that of treading on the tail of a tiger. The “tiger” may be some strong or malevolent force in your own personality, or it may be a particularly volatile individual or situation with which you have to deal. In either case the advice of the I Ching is the same: one avoids the bite of a tiger by treading carefully. To tread carefully means that we remain steadfastly innocent and conscientious in our thoughts and actions. 

It is inevitable that people will display varying levels of spiritual understanding. It is not our duty to condemn or correct others, but simply to go on developing ourselves. Do not imagine that you can hasten your progress through aggressive actions now. Power that is sought and wielded pridefully has a way of evaporating when you need it most, thus exacerbating your difficulties. The only lasting influence is that which arises naturally from a course of steady development.

In the end, it is our inner worth that determines the outer conditions of our lives. Those who resolve to persevere in humility, sincerity, and gentleness can tread anywhere – even on the tail of a tiger – and meet with success.

 

from The I Ching, or Book of Changes

Hexagram 10, Lü / Treading

 

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