Outwardly, all activities
cease; inwardly, the mind stops
its panting. When one’s mind has
become a wall, then he may
begin to enter
the tao.
Posts Tagged → world
know the universe as yourself
Favor
and disgrace are
equally problematic. Hope
and fear are phantoms
of the body.
What
does it mean that
“favor and disgrace are
equally problematic”? Favor
lifts you up; disgrace knocks you down.
Either one depends on the opinions
of others and causes you to
depart from your
center.
What
does it mean that
“hope and fear are phantoms
of the body”? When you regard your
body as your self, hope and fear have real
power over you. If you abandon the
notion of body as self, hope
and fear cannot
touch you.
Know
the universe as
your self, and you can live
absolutely anywhere in comfort.
Love the world as your self,
and you’ll be able
to care for it
properly.
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.
years of hunger beneath gojo bridge
A master’s
handiwork cannot
be measured but still priests wag
their tongues explaining the “Way” and
babbling about “Zen.” This old monk has
never cared for false piety and my
nose wrinkles at the dark smell
of incense before the
Buddha.
Crazy Cloud
speaks of Daito’s unsurpassed
brilliance but the clatter of royal carriages
about the temple gates drowns him out and no
one listens to tales of the Patriarch’s long
years of hunger and homelessness
beneath Gojo
Bridge.
In order to deepen his Zen understanding, Daito Kokushi (also known as Shuho Myocho, 1281-1338), the founder of Daitoku-ji, passed a number of years hiding out among the beggars clustered about Kyoto’s Gojo Bridge.
if you live on the breath
If you live on the breath,
you won’t be tortured by hunger and
thirst, or the longing to touch. The purpose of
being born is fulfilled in the state
between “I am” and
“That”.
win the world by letting go
Govern a nation
by following nature.
Fight a war with unexpected
moves. Win the world by
letting go.
How do I know this?
From seeing these things:
The more prohibitions there
are, the poorer people
become.
The more
weapons there are,
the darker things
become.
The more cunning
and cleverness there is,
the crazier things
become.
The more laws there are,
the greater the number
of scoundrels.
Therefore the sage says:
I take no action, and people transform
themselves. I love tranquility, and people
naturally do what is right. I don’t interfere,
and people prosper on their own. I have
no desires, and people return
to simplicity.
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and
Art of War for iPad/Phone, Kindle,
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.