What lies
outside my mind
is of no concern to it.
If you could learn this lesson,
you’d be standing straight.
You can come back
to life.
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just attain the way
If
you haven’t
attained the Way,
don’t admonish others.
Don’t waste time blaming
yourself, either. Just
attain the
Way.
You
can now buy
Wei wu Wei Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.
a darkness as much of the womb as the grave
Anything could happen,
and whether we act or not has everything
to do with it. Though there is no lottery ticket for the lazy
and the detached, for the engaged there is a tremendous gamble
for the highest stakes right now. I say this to you not because I haven’t
noticed that this country has strayed close to destroying itself and everything
it once stood for, in pursuit of empire in the world and the eradication of democracy
at home, that our civilization is close to destroying the very nature on which we
depend—the oceans, the atmosphere, the uncounted species of plant and
insect and bird. I say it because I have noticed: wars will break out,
the planet will heat up, species will die out, but how many,
how hot, and what survives depends on whether
we act. The future is dark, with a
darkness as much of
the womb as the
grave.
Rebecca Solnit
world and particle are one
The ego says
that the world is vast, and
that the particles which form it are tiny.
When tiny particles join, it says, the vast
world appears. When the vast world
disperses, it says, tiny particles
appear.
The ego
is entranced by
all these names and ideas,
but the subtle truth is that world and particle
are the same; neither one vast, neither one tiny. Every
thing is equal to every other thing. Names and
concepts only block your perception
of this Great Oneness. Therefore
it is wise to ignore
them.
Those
who live inside
their egos are continually bewildered:
they struggle frantically to know whether things
are large or small, whether or not there is a purpose
to joining or dispersing, whether the universe is blind and
mechanical or the divine creation of a conscious being.
In reality there are no grounds for having beliefs
or making comments about such things. Look
behind them instead, and you will discern
the deep, silent, complete truth
of the Tao. Embrace it, and
your bewilderment
vanishes.
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
Hua hu Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.
empty, without holiness
Emperor Wu
of Liang asked Bodhidharma,
“I have built temples and had monks
ordained without number: what merit is there
in this?” Bodhidharma said, “There is no merit.”
The emperor said, “Why no merit?” Bodhidharma
said, “These are just the lesser fruits of gods
and men, causes of defilement: like
shadows following shapes,
though they’re there,
they’re not
real.”
The Emperor
said, “What is true merit?”
Bodhidharma answered, “The subtle
perfection of pure wisdom, its essence naturally
empty and still. Such merit is not to be sought with worldly
means.” Only then did the Emperor ask, “What is the
highest meaning of the holy truths?” Bodhidharma
answered, “Empty, without holiness.”
The Emperor said, “Who is facing
me?” Bodhidharma replied,
“I don’t know.”
The Emperor
did not understand, so
Bodhidharma crossed the river
into Wei. If you want to see real merit
right now, don’t look for it anywhere else,
just comprehend it in “I don’t know”.
If you can penetrate those three
words, the task of your whole
life’s study will be
completed.
