A

superior person

cares for the well-being of all things.

She does this by accepting responsibility for the energy

she manifests, both actively and in the subtle realm. Looking at a tree,

she sees not an isolated event but root, leaves, trunk, water,

soil and sun: each event related to the others,

and “tree” arising out of their

relatedness.

 

Looking

at herself or another,

she sees the same thing. Trees and

animals, humans and insects, flowers and birds:

These are active images of the subtle energies that flow

from the stars throughout the universe. Meeting

and combining with each other and

the elements of the earth, they

give rise to all living

things.

 

The

superior person

understands this, and understands

that her own energies play a part in it. Understanding

these things, she respects the earth as her mother, the heavens

as her father, and all living things as her brothers and sisters.

Caring for them, she knows that she cares for herself.

Giving to them, she knows that she gives to

herself. At peace with them, she is

always at peace with

herself.

 

from Hua hu Ching, Chapter 37

 

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Darkness

has been given as

a nightshirt to sleep in.

Remember how human beings

were composed from water and dust

for blood and flesh with oily resins heated

in fire to make a skeleton. Then the soul, the divine

light, was breathed into human shapes. The work now is

to help our bodies become pure light. It may look like

this is not happening. But in a cocoon every bit

of worm-dissolving slime becomes silk.

As we take in light, each part

of us turns to

silk.

 

 

Let change —

even traumatic upheaval —

remind you that anything is possible.

When the dark cloud of chaos hangs

over you, let possibility be

the silver lining.

 

Maggie Smith

 

💔🎶🌞

 

The

clear wind

and the bright moon

demonstrate the

great truth.

 

Kusan Sunim

 

 

The

way of love is

not a subtle argument.

The door there is devastation.

Birds make great sky-circles of their

freedom. How do they learn that?

They fall, and falling,

they’re given

wings.

 

Rumi

 

 

By even speaking a phrase to you,

I have already doused you with dirty water.

It would be even worse for me to put a twinkle in my eye

and raise my eyebrow to you, or rap on the meditation seat

or hold up a whisk, or demand, “What is this?”

As for shouting and hitting, it’s obvious

that this is just a pile of bones

on level ground.

 

There are also the type

who don’t know good from bad and

ask questions about Buddha and Dharma and Zen

and the Tao. They ask to be helped, they beg to be received,

they seek knowledge and sayings and theories relating to

the Buddhist teaching and to transcending the world

and to accommodating the world. This is washing

dirt in mud and washing mud in dirt —

when will they ever manage

to clear it away?

 

Yuanwu