You who lack
self-discipline, be inquiring!
Going straight to the root is the hallmark
of the buddha; picking up leaves and collecting branches
is no use at all. Most people don’t know the pearl
that answers all wishes.
You who lack
self-discipline, be inquiring!
Going straight to the root is the hallmark
of the buddha; picking up leaves and collecting branches
is no use at all. Most people don’t know the pearl
that answers all wishes.
It certainly wasn’t
fish who discovered water or
birds the air. Men built houses in part
out of embarrassment by the stars and raised
their children on trivialities because they had butchered
the god within themselves. The politician standing on
the church steps thrives within the grandeur
of this stupidity, a burnt out lamp
who never imagined
the sun.
Knowing
others is intelligence;
knowing the self is enlightenment.
Conquering others is power; conquering
the self is strength. Know what is enough, and
you’ll be rich. Persevere, and you’ll develop
a will. Remain in the center, and you’ll
always be at home. Die without
dying, and you’ll endure
forever.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
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The notion of
enlightenment means, “not bound”.
Not bound to what? Not bound to one’s own
mind in ordinary ways; not bound in confusion
to all the suffering that one’s mind
has produced and is
experiencing.
Whatever state you’re in,
remember you are inside the presence.
Out looking for pleasure, there especially —
I have found no delight better than the mix of touch
with love. That taste is the sweetest. When you are tranced
in that, recall who gave you these pleasurable forms and
inclinations. Even when having a brain seizure,
remember how earthquake energy pries
apart mountains and zigzags a stone
wall. Let that core-energy break
your convulsion.
When you’re afraid
of a certain man in power, of some
authority binding you, in these anxieties,
as well as in prostration prayer,
taste the presence.