adept

Thanks for that Hagar. Wow ! Totally cracked me up. I've got sore ribs from all the laughing. I've never met anyone from Buddhism who expresses their emotions like this. Hilarious.

WAR Weapons are tools of ill omen Wielded by the ignorant. If their use is unavoidable, The wise act with restraint. The greatest sorrow is to be a veteran, Witness to the atrocities of humanity. If you hold a real weapon in your hand, you will feel its character strongly. It begs to be used. It is fearsome. Its only purpose is death, and its power is not just in the material from which it is made but also from the intention of its makers. It is regrettable that weapons must sometimes be used, but occasionally, survival demands it. The wise go forth with weapons only as a last resort. They never rejoice in the skill of weapons, nor do they glorify war. When death, pain, and destruction are visited upon what you hold to be most sacred, the spiritual price is devastating. What hurts more than one's own suffering is bearing witness to the suffering of others. The regret of seeing human beings at their worst and the sheer pain of not being able to help the victims can never be redeemed. If you go personally to war, you cross the line yourself. You sacrifice ideals for survival and the fury of killing. That alters you forever. That is why no one rushes to be a veteran. Think before you want to change so unalterably. The stakes are not merely one's life, but one's very humanity.

CHILDHOOD No. No. No. This ruins a child. Children are one of the most precious aspects of life, and yet they often are mistreated and abused. If you are a parent, your most important task is to raise your child with as little trauma as possible. Firmness, consistency, and patience are essential. There will undoubtedly be times when you have to correct a child to prevent mistakes and bad habits. However, when it comes to a child's curiosity, individuality, or initiative, there should never be any discouragement. In that sense, it is wrong to say no. There is a legend about a thief who stole into heaven and took the peaches that gave immortality. He returned to earth and was about to eat them when he chanced upon two little boys. Taken with their intelligence, he asked them riddle after riddle about the deepest meanings of life and they answered with laughing ease. The thief decided to share his peaches with the boys, and they all became immortal. If the boys had had their curiosity killed early in life, could they have answered well? If a thief could be kind to children, can't the rest of us be too? And if the children never had an opportunity, could they have become immortals?

UNFORTUNATE An unfortunate one is a rootless ghost, His walk a mad angel's gait. Insolent steps of one thrown from heaven To toil in red dust, As if he had not had enough In a thousand previous lifetimes. Where is his heart? Where is his soul? To call this heaven's will Is a cheap answer. There was once a god who committed a crime. His punishment was to be thrown back to earth to suffer the misfortunes of being human. When you see those less fortunate than yourself, whether they are the homeless on the streets or simply the ugly and unpopular, can you be sure that they are not like that god flung back to this mad planet? Is their misfortune their own fault? Or do you explain with references to morality, destiny, reincarnation, and cosmic justice? Even the words of saints offer no relief for their suffering, so it hardly seems fair to blame them. Let us not hold ourselves above our fellow human beings, no matter how great the disparity. To withhold your scorn is already beautiful. To see how we are all of one family is compassion.

No problems brother. I forgive you. We have much to share, and I look forward to more dharma dialogues with you.

The 'blinkered' quote was for Vaj, who, whilst being very knowledgeable and passionate about his path of cultivation, holds a one-sided view of the superiority of his brand of Buddhism. I, too have been on the spiritual merry- go- round for many years, and it was only when I let my preferences and past conditioning drop that I had an awakening of sorts. I won't bore you with all the details, but the most simple teachings, which are also the most profound, were the starting point for my inner quest, all those years ago. At the time, I just didn't understand. It was through practice and study of countless other systems and traditions that brought me back to that starting point, but now with a full understanding. It had been right in front of my eyes all along, only I couldn't see it. I had been wearing blinkers. Now, without the blinkers, I could see everything for what it was. No system, labels, tradition or cultural conditioning. Non attachment. The emptiness of emptiness. Different people have different 'methods'. Mine is not superior to anyone else's. The turning point for me was reading the words of Bankei and the Hsin Hsin Ming. Simple, direct and utterly profound. We each have our own 'roadmap'. I have a lot of time for anyone who puts in the effort and cultivates the Way. However, I will not hold a wrong view that my way is best or the only way. Vaj should be a bit more diplomatic.

Blinkered, meaning you have your blinkers on. As racehorses do, so they are unable to see the other horses in the race. It's a metaphor. You probably use metaphors a lot in your superior form of dogmatic, fundamentalist Buddhism. A form of tunnel vision where you don't see another persons point of view, or opinion. You actually believe you are right, and everybody else is wrong. Actually, seeing as you are so extreme in your views, and your defense of them, then it may be some form of mental illness. You have a superiority complex. :lol:

My view is fine thank you. It's just not blinkered like yours.

WORSHIP You can worship gods, But you cannot worship Tao. Adoration of your god is more beautiful than lovers, more fulfilling than feasts, more valuable than mammon. It provides greater shelter than palaces. Proper worship is joyous and ecstatic. If you have a limited view of worship, you can always lose sight of holiness. When you are on a junior level of achievement, you can turn away from your gods at any time. Those who follow Tao know that Tao is not the god on the altar; they therefore see their god in their every action and never lose sight of the divine. Gods can be worshipped, but the Tao can't be worshipped. Why? Because gods lead to good things and inspire our highest devotion. As magnificent as this is to imagine, it is still limited when compared to the eternity of Tao. Tao has no definitions, no limit, no personal or individual consciousness. Thus, to worship Tao is meaningless, for our effort would be lost in an infinite sea. There is no supplication to it, for it will not respond. There is no adoration of it, for it displays no glory. There is no ecstatic union with it, for it has no differentiations. Tao is great. Tao is eternal. Anything limited and small -- even worship -- disappears in it. One can only enter Tao to become a part of its limitlessness.

Well, anyone that says that one way is more complete than any other, will never become 'enlightened' in a million years ! Setting up comparisons with other forms of spirituality is futile. It is only when we drop these views that we will have any chance of awakening. There have probably been many people throughout the ages that have awakened without being Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, Christian etc etc. Drop the labels and distinctions. Enlightenment is right before your very eyes. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water

Oh well, I might change my mind. Anyway, how can you be nobody when I am ?

Great post Marblehead. Apart from your posts and my 365 Tao posts, there seems to be not much on cultivating the Way. This is a shame, a great shame indeed when it's meant to be a Tao based forum. We don't have much of an audience I'm afraid. Most folks on here seem to be obsessed with which qigong is superior, which religion or belief system is best. Special powers etc etc. From now on, no more 365 Tao quotes from me. Nobody's interested.

This guy learned Japanese in 18 months having fun. Not by taking classes or courses. He did it by immersion. Listening to and watching everything in Japanese. That, and learning kanji at the same time. Great story, very motivational as well. Lots of useful advice and links. I've always wanted to learn Japanese but thought it would be way too difficult. This way sounds like fun.

I'll second that.

Verses On the Faith Mind Translated by Richard B. Clarke 至道無難 The Great Way is not difficult 唯嫌揀擇 for those who have no preferences. 但莫憎愛 When love and hate are both absent 洞然明白 everything becomes clear and undisguised. 毫釐有差 Make the smallest distinction, however 天地懸隔 and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. 欲得現前 If you wish to see the truth 莫存順逆 then hold no opinions for or against anything. 違順相爭 To set up what you like against what you dislike 是爲心病 is the disease of the mind. 不識玄旨 When the deep meaning of things is not understood 徒勞念靜 the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail. 圓同太虚 The Way is perfect like vast space 無欠無餘 where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess. 良由取捨 Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject 所以不如 that we do not see the true nature of things. 莫逐有縁 Live neither in the entanglements of outer things, 勿住空忍 nor in inner feelings of emptiness. 一種平懷 Be serene in the oneness of things 泯然自盡 and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves. 止動歸止 When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity 止更彌動 your very effort fills you with activity. 唯滯兩邊 As long as you remain in one extreme or the other 寧知一種 you will never know Oneness. 一種不通 Those who do not live in the single Way 兩處失功 fail in both activity and passivity, 遣有沒有 assertion and denial. To deny the reality of things 從空背空 to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality. 多言多慮 The more you talk and think about it, 轉不相應 the further astray you wander from the truth. 絶言絶慮 Stop talking and thinking, 無處不通 and there is nothing you will not be able to know. 歸根得旨 To return to the root is to find the meaning, 隨照失宗 but to pursue appearances is to miss the source. 須臾返照 At the moment of inner enlightenment 勝卻前空 there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness. 前空轉變 The changes that appear to occur in the empty world 皆由妄見 we call real only because of our ignorance. 不用求眞 Do not search for the truth; 唯須息見 only cease to cherish opinions. 二見不住 Do not remain in the dualistic state 慎莫追尋 avoid such pursuits carefully. 纔有是非 If there is even a trace of this and that, of right and wrong, 紛然失心 the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion. 二由一有 Although all dualities come from the One, 一亦莫守 do not be attached even to this One. 一心不生 When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way, 萬法無咎 nothing in the world can offend, 無咎無法 and when a thing can no longer offend, it ceases to exist in the old way. 不生不心 When no discriminating thoughts arise, the old mind ceases to exist. 能隨境滅 When thought objects vanish, the thinking-subject vanishes, 境逐能沈 as when the mind vanishes, objects vanish. 境由能境 Things are objects because of the subject (mind); 能由境能 the mind (subject) is such because of things (object). 欲知兩段 Understand the relativity of these two 元是一空 and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness. 一空同兩 In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable 齊含萬象 and each contains in itself the whole world. 不見精麁 If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine 寧有偏黨 you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion. 大道體寛 To live in the Great Way 無易無難 is neither easy nor difficult, 小見狐疑 but those with limited views 轉急轉遲 and fearful and irresolute: the faster they hurry, the slower they go, 執之失度 and clinging (attachment) cannot be limited; 必入邪路 even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment is to go astray. 放之自然 Just let things be in their own way 體無去住 and there will be neither coming nor going. 任性合道 Obey the nature of things (your own nature), 逍遙絶惱 and you will walk freely and undisturbed. 繋念乖眞 When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden, 昏沈不好 for everything is murky and unclear, 不好勞神 and the burdensome practice of judging brings annoyance and weariness. 何用疏親 What benefit can be derived from distinctions and separations? 欲取一乘 If you wish to move in the One Way 勿惡六塵 do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas. 六塵不惡 Indeed, to accept them fully 還同正覺 is identical with true Enlightenment. 智者無爲 The wise man strives to no goals 愚人自縛 but the foolish man fetters himself. 法無異法 This is one Dharma, not many: distinctions arise 妄自愛著 from the clinging needs of the ignorant. 將心用心 To seek Mind with the (discriminating) mind 豈非大錯 is the greatest of all mistakes. 迷生寂亂 Rest and unrest derive from illusion; 悟無好惡 with enlightenment there is no liking and disliking. 一切二邊 All dualities come from 妄自斟酌 ignorant inference. 夢幻虚華 They are like dreams of flowers in the air: 何勞把捉 foolish to try to grasp them. 得失是非 Gain and loss, right and wrong: 一時放卻 such thoughts must finally be abolished at once. 眼若不睡 If the eye never sleeps, 諸夢自除 all dreams will naturally cease. 心若不異 If the mind makes no discriminations, 萬法一如 the ten thousand things are as they are, of single essence. 一如體玄 To understand the mystery of this One-essence 兀爾忘虚 is to be release from all entanglements. 萬法齊觀 When all things are seen equally 歸復自然 the timeless Self-essence is reached. 泯其所以 No comparisons or analogies are possible 不可方比 in this causeless, relationless state. 止動無動 Consider movement stationary and the stationary in motion, 動止無止 both movement and rest disappear. 兩既不成 When such dualities cease to exist 一何有爾 Oneness itself cannot exist. 究竟窮極 To this ultimate finality 不存軌則 no law or description applies. 契心平等 For the unified mind in accord with the Way 所作倶息 all self-centered straining ceases. 狐疑盡淨 Doubts and irresolution's vanish 正信調直 and life in true faith is possible. 一切不留 With a single stroke we are freed from bondage; 無可記憶 nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing. 虚明自照 All is empty , clear, self-illuminating, 不勞心力 with no exertion of the mind's power. 非思量處 Here thought, feeling, knowledge, and imagination 識情難測 are of no value. 眞如法界 In this world of Suchness 無他無自 there is neither self nor other-than-self 要急相應 To come directly into harmony with this reality 唯言不二 just simply say when doubt arises, 'Not two.' 不二皆同 In this 'no two' nothing is separate, 無不包容 nothing excluded. 十方智者 No matter when or where, 皆入此宗 enlightenment means entering this truth. 宗非促延 And this truth is beyond extension or diminution in time or space; 一念萬年 in it a single thought is ten thousand years. 無在不在 Emptiness here, Emptiness there, 十方目前 but the infinite universe stands always before your eyes. 極小同大 Infinitely large and infinitely small; 忘絶境界 no difference, for definitions have vanished 極大同小 不見邊表 and no boundaries are seen. 有即是無 So too with Being 無即是有 and non-Being. 若不如此 Don't waste time in doubts and arguments 必不相守 that have nothing to do with this. 一即一切 One thing, all things: 一切即一 move among and intermingle, without distinction. 但能如是 To live in this realization 何慮不畢 is to be without anxiety about non-perfection. 信心不二 To live in this faith is the road to non-duality, 不二信心 Because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind. 言語道斷 Words! The Way is beyond language, 非去來今 for in it there is no yesterday no tomorrow no today.

SOLSTICE When the true light appears, The entire planet turns to face it. The summer solstice is the time of greatest light. It is a day of enormous power. The whole planet is turned fully to the brilliance of the sun. This great culmination is not static or permanent. Indeed, solstice as a time of culmination is only a barely perceptible point. The sun appears to stand still. Its diurnal motion seems to nearly cease. Yesterday, it was still reaching this point; tomorrow, it will begin a new phase of its cycle. Those who follow Tao celebrate this day to remind themselves of the cycles of existence. They remember that all cycles have a left and a right, an up side and a down side, a zenith and a nadir. Today, day far surpasses night, and yet night will gradually begin to reassert itself. All of life is cycles. All of life is balance. So celebrate, but be not proud. For whenever you celebrate high achievement, the antithesis is also approaching. Likewise, in misfortune, be not sad. For whenever you mourn in grief, the antithesis is also approaching. Those who know how to reach the peak of any cycle and remain glorious are the wisest of all.

Excellent post.

ALTAR Each day I forge my body into steel And fold in bright strands of consciousness. Piling up ripe fruit and fragrant flowers, Lighting red candles and incense, Serving tea, rice, and wine. Anointing with aromatic oils, Offering heart and bones, The altar is my anvil, sun and moon the coals, Discipline the hammer, lungs the bellows. Followers of Tao have private altars in their homes. The pious see an altar only for supplication; the skeptical see the altar as false and insincere. Actually, devotional effort is absolutely necessary for those beginning on the path. True spiritual cultivation begins with the premise that you already have a pure spirit and only need to clear away obfuscations. Thus one must work on both the physical and mental levels in order to achieve the quickest results. Such varied efforts need a strong center. By focusing on the altar as the platform for all practices, you will keep yourself strongly on your path. The outward acts then pile up like offerings after offerings, and the outward votive furniture becomes your means of memorializing your efforts. Then your body itself becomes a steel altar, an unshakable monument to spiritual devotion.

SHRINE Wade the warm stream to The shrine across the river of golden sound, Where a drunken bee drones the holy syllable Over a crimson lotus. Rich mango magenta and spice offerings Are piled high by the devout. Entering into hut of blue stone -- Cool black interior smeared with incense and Pierced with tiny triangles of candle flame -- Ordinary cares fall to the crystalline floor. Fiery letters appear in the air And reappear in your heart. It is good to have holy places in the world, and it is good for us to go on pilgrimages. Ultimately, it is not the place that is important; it is what you feel that is lasting. To visit a place is minor; to change within yourself is greater. When people visit a holy place, some say that the spirits of that place speak to them. Others remember the exotic pageantry. When it comes to sacred sites, it's better to be a pilgrim than a tourist. Go with a humble attitude, and let your heart be moved by what you experience. Then you will receive the true treasure of the shrine.

MEDITATION Sit still and disengage normal activities. Draw energy from the earth, Admit power from the heavens. Fertilize the seed within; Let it sprout into a flower of pure light. And let brightness open the top of your head: Divine light will come pouring in. Your mind is empty, Light seeps into your whole body. Sitting cross-legged, with hands clasped, As if trying to embrace the brilliant flood, Your skin turns transparent. How can a bag of skin hold divine magnitude? Your last vestiges burn away in a torrent of infinity. Only after indeterminate time do you return. Flesh, blood, bone. Were you gone? Or were you never here in the first place? Where is the torrent? It is not gone; You've only closed to it once more.

I think this is very apt, considering all the sectarian issues we have on Tao Bums. I will continue to post these daily words of wisdom using this one thread, rather than open a different one each day. It doesn't matter if there aren't many comments.

MASTER Deception occurs when you are divided, Truth appears when you are whole. Uniting male and female brings illumination, The real master is a perfect light. No one is ineligible to know higher truth. When concentration, energy, and thinking are scattered, we cannot break out of ignorance. The diversity and contradictions of existence confuse us, and appearances deceive us. Do we need a master to help us in this struggle to know the truth? In the beginning we do. What is not often said is that the human master is but a temporary and imperfect manifestation of the ultimate truth. Without a master, you cannot make a beginning. If you never look beyond the person, you will never attain the entirety. A good master leads you to the true master within. Only that master, who is your own higher self, can adequately answer all questions. Once you unite all elements within yourself, metaphorically referred to as the uniting of male and female, the light that dispels darkness appears. Just as all colored light together makes colorless light, so too does the combination of all our facets result in the integration of our polarities. When this happens, you will "see" a light in your meditations. This light brings knowledge. That is why it is called the true master.

CENSORSHIP Emperors uphold censorship, But extreme repression leads to extreme reaction. Individualists believe in freedom, But extreme expression leads to extreme reaction. The emperors of China and Rome punished any expression that displeased them. Whether it was dissent, unpleasant news, or a portrait that disgusted them, they were ready to destroy the perpetrators without hesitation. Today, there are democracies but no less a tendency to punish dissent, manipulate information, or castigate artists. Those in power should be careful : Push the people too far, and they will rebel. Artists from early on have tried to push the limits of their expression. Driven by the desire to create, they have sought to strike down every boundary. But as long as they do this in a social setting, they should not outpace their audiences. Those who create must be careful : Challenge the people too much, and they will rebel. So there are two extremes. The desires of the powerful, who feel that censorship is a just tool, and the tendencies of the creative, who feel that they should have no limits to their freedom. Those who follow Tao avoid these extremes. They avoid becoming the ruler, for such a position is fraught with danger, hypocrisy, and disappointment. Neither will they become the grandstanding artist; to arouse others is likewise dangerous. If they must rule, they use compassion as their standard. If they do create, they find satisfaction in self-expression. Above all, they avoid any extreme that will take them from Tao.

NAVIGATION Do you know Where you are On your journey? Tao's movement has been compared to the flow of rivers. Its vastness has been compared to that of oceans. Some people are content to float here and there with the tide, but for others, such passivity is impossible. We have to navigate. Like early explorers on the high seas, we know where we want to go. That's when studying precedence is important. The wisdom of those who went before us is like a map. The truths regarding Tao are like the stars. We determine our goals, and we set out according to what we know and what we learn. The future is always uncertain; that is why it is important to objectively evaluate where we are on our spiritual path. If you are confronted with a pivotal decision and cannot think of any other way to act, write down all the good things and all the bad things about a given situation. Also include how much more you want to do. See if staying your course will give you what you want. If not, change, no matter how deeply that will disrupt your routines. Some people never know where they are in life, and that is one of the biggest reasons that they are unhappy.