the poise of a dying man

joel rea

 

Beyond

meditation practice,

there is attitude. A beginner

must learn to cultivate what is called,

“the poise of a dying man”. What is this poise?

It is the poise of knowing what is important and what

is not, and of being accepting and forgiving. Anyone who has

ever been at the bedside of a dying man will understand

this poise. What would the dying man do if someone

were to insult him? Nothing. What would

the dying man do if someone

were to strike him?

Nothing.

 

As

he lay there,

would he scheme to

become famous or wealthy?

No. If someone who had once offended

him were to ask him for his forgiveness would he

 not give it? Of course he would. A dying man knows

the pointlessness of enmity. Hatred is always

such a wretched feeling. Who wishes to

die feeling hatred in his heart?

No one. The dying

seek love and

peace.

 

Hsu-Yun 

 

tao te ching ☯️ chapter 80

 

Let there be small

countries with few people.

Let the people have no use for

complicated machinery. Let them be

mindful of death so that they

don’t move too far from

their birthplaces.

 

If there be boats and carriages,

let there be nowhere to take them to.

If there are weapons, let there

be no occasion to display them.

 

Let the people’s

responsibilities be few enough

that they may remember them

by knotting a string.

 

Let them

enjoy their food,

be content with their clothes,

be satisfied with their homes,

and take pleasure in

their customs.

 

Though

the next country

may be close enough

to hear the barking of its dogs

and the crowing of its roosters,

let the people grow old and

die without feeling

compelled to

visit it.

 

Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu

Chapter 80

 

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all a sane man can ever care about is giving love

 

najwa zebian

 

I know the way you can get
When you have not had a drink of Love:

Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.

Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.

Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one’s self.

O I know the way you can get
If you have not been drinking Love:

You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.

You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.

You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.

I know the way you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love’s
Hands.

That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.

That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!

All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!
 

Hafiz

the best effort one can make

 

The best effort

one can make is the

gentlest effort: wei wu wei.

Quietly, persistently direct the

mind toward emptiness. When

all thoughts and ideas have

dissipated, then make no

further effort. Just

breathe.

 

This is the only

practice required of a

human, the best one, the one

that perfectly purifies

our lives.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 9

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