strawdog65

Drown in kumbaya Dark, effervescing quagmire. Rocky road ice cream.

That to me sounds like the very best contention possible. What a wonderful parent, mentor and friend. Rene, you are fortunate to have had such an influence in your life. Peace!

Welcome!!

Welcome!

Salmon sleep on rocks. Crickets serenade the Moon. Gaia is awake.

But my quiff is stiff. Kitty rides a red rocket, Plowed deep in fresh snow.

Everyday Tao: By deng ming-Dao ========================================================== 4. Sky/Tian It was natural that the students wanted to know their place in the grand Tao. The ancients told them that this would be apparent soon enough, but the students pressed the old ones to reveal more. Then the teachers gave a lesson still given to students today. They pointed one hand to the sky and the other to the earth. This gesture is one of the most profound in the tradition of Tao. It places human beings between heaven and earth, but also after heaven and earth in importance (the traditional saying is "Heaven, Earth, and Humanity". It also serves as a reminder that people are a part of all things under heaven. Even today, the world is often referred to by the phrase "below heaven." The word Tian means "sky", "heaven", and "nature" simultaneously. Thus, Tao was to be discerned in heaven/nature. Contemplating the sky is one way of contemplating Tao. Th sky is above us. It is endless, vast, ever present yet ever changing. It is not an abstract philosophical concept but a daily presence. The wind blows through its vast expanse. The clouds gather and disappear in its vastness. Without its air we could not breathe. Without the sun, we could not live. We can not live without the essential elements of the sky and earth. The human spirit is great, and is not content unless it has a greatness as vast as the sky's in which to roam. We must not make our idea of Tao too small. Even though Tao shows a person along a path, it is an infinite path in an endless world. =============================================================== Comments? Peace!

I Am what I Am. Kaleidescope in the sun. Smell of burning bugs.

Thank you Aaron fro saying this so well. Moments are the basis of our lives.... when we live completely within them we live a very full and content life. The purpose of our lives is this moment right NOW.... And there never need be any more purpose than that. Peace!

Nap time. You go fight. The battle inside my head. Horton hears a who?

Hi Ya Mu! Well said! To think we know what is and should be, to place a judgment on something that is still beneficial, what difference does it make ? It is what it is, either way many people were deeply affected by the man. We are all welcome to take it or leave it, whatever it may be. Far as his intent, do we honestly know what CC's intent was? Even as a complete work of fiction.... if the words speak to a person, if those words hold meaning and life changing profundity then they are worthwhile. Everyone has a different perception of their own "reality" can you or I honestly prove that what we perceive is more complete or more "real"? If your perspective is opened by someone's words, how does this invalidate what you have learned? Personally I learned a lot from Yoda. He isn't even real( at least I don't think so. ) He is just a movie character, spouting words from a script, written by a man. Regardless... when Yoda says to Luke ( paraphrased because I'm sure I'm not saying it perfectly correct.) "There is no try. There is only do, this is why you fail." When Yoda says this it resonates deeply within me, to me it is a teaching, it is a truth that I need not consult or have approval from anyone else to use in my own life. Nothing can invalidate what the teaching is. The same is true regardless of where the teaching emminates. What is a truth to your being is incorruptible, and judgment of validity can only be made from the outside, by someone whom has decided otherwise. So basically, you get it, and they don't and nothing else really matters. "judge me by my size do you"? No Yoda.... definitely not! Peace!

Bowl. Eggs. Noodles. Steam. Don't look now, bowl is empty. Concave reflection.

welcome!

The truth behind politics is that we will never know why decisions are made and who is actually in control of world governments. Money knows no political party. The desire to create more wealth for the relative few, will always dictate what the status quo is for the rest of us. A world-wide economy demands this. Anyone thinking they will make real changes in government is foolish. It is wasted effort to deeply invest one's self into political opinions. Without ever knowing all the facts about what is the true underlying nature of the world political agenda, it's all pointless. Better to focus on what's right in front of you. Live a simple uncomplicated life. Regardless of what you believe... all things come to pass. Good and bad are irrelevant, and we as individuals can only endeavor to live the lives we have, as fully as possible. Peace!

Chocolate fool's gold. Strawberry flavored toe jam, Taste not, matters not.

Hi Marblehead!, Well said.., this is what I believe to be the most natural way. There is no existence without the harming of something living. It is the intentional, needless destruction, that is the issue to me. Just like knowing how to live with knowing when enough is enough, so to, this applies to the idea of Do No Harm. There is what's necessary for our survival and then there is the aspect of wanton excess and using the guise of saying, harm is harm... "what's the difference?" There is always a difference. When we purposely choose to harm without regard for our actions being necessary... we harm the world/ourselves. Living an existence Devoid of reverence for life and the value of that life, is like a blindness of Tao. Peace!

Everyday Tao By:Deng Ming-Dao =============== 3. See. When students wanted to learn of Tao, they sought out the guidance of wise elders. Learning was not formal. The ancients accepted any student they felt was sincere. Perhaps there was a simple conversation under a tree or a quiet invocation touching a rock. Then the younger one merely walked with the older one, The students wanted to see Tao. By pointing out animals and trees, leading the way through tiger-filled mountains and flower-covered valleys, fording icy rivers, and crossing sun-scorched deserts, the ancients showed the way of the world in its limitless variety. What was so important about this method is that the ancients trusted their students to see. They trusted their student's perceptions. They didn't say "Learn Tao from my words". They didn't say, "You are incapable of seeing Tao." They didn't say, "You can only gain Tao through elaborate rituals in temples." Instead, they simply let their students live and travel with them, and they knew that the students would see Tao in the wind and mountains, trees and rivers, animals and people. The real Tao was the everyday Tao. The idea that each of us can be directly spiritual is radical. Most religions are based not on teaching adherents to be directly spiritual, but in persuading them to trust in the intercession of minister or priests. The problem with this approach is that we cannot gain access to spirituality except through the medium of a fallible human being. The example of the traveling students shows us otherwise: If we want to see Tao, we need only open our eyes and trust what we see. ===================================================== Comments? Peace!

Hi Marbles! I knew there was a reason I respected my cat>

No problem Uli! I do understand the difficulty of putting into words something with so many wonderful implications. I just thought maybe you had some good stuff to share. Lets both make differences in our lives, along the WAY to this eventual world of change. Peace!

Hi Marblehead! Question... If they are going and not going with the flow is this of any relevance? Other than just acting naturally, the fish of course have no concept of doing anything other than what comes natural. Does a fish have awareness of swimming in it's great ocean of water? I would venture to say No... unless that is, the fish is physically separated from the only thing it's ever known. Point being... Without awareness of there being something other than what we are immersed within, there can be no "decision" to act any way other than what is most natural for that creature within that system. Peace!

Hi Ulises! Well said. Saying is the easiest part though. Very cool site.... interesting article! I agree that we should all do our best to add positivity in creating change. But any change hoped to be accomplished by the judgments of mankind will always be flawed... as well it should be. Acceptance of this is Tao. If you speak of some sort of change in human consciousness... that will generate a leap in a new understanding of the human condition, then yes I can see that happening eventually. But would it be a singular world? Would all divisions be melded into no divisions at all? Unity is a lofty goal, as "Marbles" has stated. I'm not sure how such a thing would be possible even in my own most wildest dreams of a better world. As long as there are "differences" between all things, there will be those with the idea that they are "separate" and apart from the 10, 000 things. I ask you to please explain your thoughts on this Idea some more.... I am very interested in what you think would make this possible. Peace!

Moonlit love handles. Blue beams of light, cascading. Warm hands, gently touch.

Hi Sloppy Zhang! Very well said. That level of introspection is humbling. It may seem to most people that questioning yourself to such a degree would interfere with normal interaction within our society, but the reverse is actually true. By observing ourselves, by questioning, deeply, our own motives, we do slowly assimilate true change into our lives. And then our interaction is seamless and flowing, without the waisted effort that is struggle. The idea of us being enslaved and not seeing it is an old one. But nonetheless... true. Anything that creates desire or judgment has the ability to become your master. In the days of the ancients, all was by written page or word of mouth, desire still existed of course, but there was the ability to leave all that behind by being simple in Nature and realizing that contentment will always be yours by knowing that just like nature, we too are given enough to live and survive. Enough knows no desire. What is there to escape from in this world other than ourselves? The illusion that is freedom, is all pervasive. The only true freedom that can possibly exist.. is the freedom to bring clarity to our action/ non- action. Knowing why we act, knowing ourselves, and not giving into the slavery that is the judgmental mind of desire within. When we act in accordance with Tao will we know it? We have principles and stories and teachings as our yardstick ... the rest is up to us. To decide what is "right" and "wrong" is just another trap. I can only say for myself that when my actions are impartial, and clear without committing undue harm towards anyone or thing in this world, I feel like part of the whole... and this to me is the path of Tao. Contending with someone purely for the purpose of contention itself, is wasted effort. Fight that stream, wade deep, and plow against it's flow... go ahead see where that takes you. After it tires you out, it drowns you. How much better to flow with that same stream and let it's power take you to new starting points in your life? Isn't that more useful and accepting of what Tao is? All things change, all things are cyclic, and nothing will ever be truly stagnant unless it ceases to exist, and even then it just changes form and continues. As far as the "big Brother" issue and wiki Leaks... All is as it becomes. And since we are living within a state of worldwide becoming... how can there be any "wrong"? Our only concern should be whether or not we are living lives of awareness and using our gifts in this life to awaken all the people we come into contact with through our action and non-action with them. We become the actions we make... like it or not. There is no sense in worrying. There is no sense in focusing on what is perceived to be "bad" in this world. What does make sense to me... is being accepting of whatever changes come our way, and realizing as the ancients did, that in order to be with TAO you have to follow it like a trusted friend, you have to take what is in this moment and be content to leave desire and judgment behind. Peace!

Toothpick in the sky. Heavens are torn asunder. Not Gouda again.

A demitasse? More. Frothy, flowing,dark java. Mt. Merapi calls.