59 Source

59 Source

"Wellspring of energy
Rises in the body's core
Tap it and be sustained.
Channel it, and it will speak."

The universe, a tapestry woven without seams, denies the very notion of separation. Your hand, an extension of this grand design, does not terminate at the fragile edge of your fingertips; that boundary is a phantom, a whisper of perceived limits. The external world, the "other," pulses within you, a shared rhythm. The infinitesimal reflects the infinite, a mirrored dance of scales. A cosmic dust cloud, a distant nebula, harbors countless microscopic echoes, fractal doppelgangers whispering the same cosmic truth. Your innermost thoughts, the very fabric of your being, are spun from the same fractal stardust as the tangible world. And in those fleeting moments of déjà vu, the veil thins, and you glimpse the ancient knowledge, the truth you were never meant to forget. You are, in essence, a vessel of boundless potential, a god slumbering within the confines of perceived limitations.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

58 Opportunity

58 Opportunity

"A green bird darting in the night.
Will you be able to see it?
Will you be able to catch it?
Cling to Tao like a shadow.
Move without a shadow."

Taoism emphasizes living in accordance with the natural order of the universe. This involves observing, understanding, and aligning with the Tao. This alignment can lead to a deeper understanding of how events unfold, which might be perceived as foresight. "Your every movement is traceless."

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

57 Predilection

57 Predilection

"Those who follow tao do so
From their own predilection.
There are no promises,
Yet the rewards are immeasurable."

One of the great lessons of the Tao, as I see it, is Wu Wei, core to this is ease. This ease is fueled by novelty and fun. Things must be as easy and enjoyable as possible, or I'm simply not engaged. When life doesn't feel like a joyful descent when their is nothing to grieve, it's time for a course correction. I'm certainly no stranger to hard work, but if my efforts become stale or tedious, I need to shift my perspective, my approach, or perhaps just step away and focus on something different. A Taoist learns from the natural world. How does a blade of grass or a cloud respond to adversity? If I can structure my life to feel like gliding downhill on well-oiled bearings, joy and gratitude will sustain me with endless delight.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

56 Muteness

56 Muteness

"The more you dwell in the spirit,
The farther you are from common ways.
If you want to speak of Tao's wonders,
Few will listen."

How many utterances are utter messes? The cancer surgeries, among other deformities, left the entire left half of my tongue paralyzed. I'm more silent now as a result. Now, I find more joy and beauty in the silence than I knew was there. Speaking is a projection. Listening is a reception. Looking can be either. Wherever you are, even right now, if you look very carefully, you can see rich, endless textures and rhythms, wild colors muted and popping vividly. You can explore how shapes and volumes occupy space, creating imaginary interstitial lines and patterns, conjuring up old images for comparison. Like I said before: I love waiting; it's one of my favorite things. I can see epic stories play out across a mottled surface, starring a bit of dust floating by. Yeah, Tao has no room for boredom.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

55 Division

55 Division

"Problems cannot be

Resolved at once.

Slowly untie knots

Divide to conquer."

Patience, perspective, & flexibility flow with the Tao.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

54 Adversity

54 Adversity

"A tree hemmed in by giants

Requires tenacity to survive."

When I was 22 climbing the Hawaiian mountains on Oahu I didn't know what I was doing and fell frequently. I climbed all over the constantly gusting windward, and calm still leeward sides. On the windward side the tiniest weak looking shrub saved my life, holding strong as I grabbed for my life falling down the mountain. On the leeward side frantic but hopefully I grabbed at a big tree thinking I was saved but it just crumbled being very soft balsa wood and I could not get a hold. I was new to the Tao Te Ching and this lesson was powerful. Adversity builds strength. A favorite truth I often come back to is "Pain is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

53 Imbalance

53 Imbalance

"Sleepless nights.

Diet, mind, conditions

Hold the possibility of correction."

I can follow directions and I'm extremely grateful for that. If all else fails I can simply wait and things will always change. I don't recall this passage including the need for community, it's of paramount importance. It doesn't need to be many just enough.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

52 Nonconformity

52 Nonconformity

"The world is dazzling, I alone am dull. Others strive for achievement, I follow a lonely path."

If I tried to tell you, it wouldn't sound believable. Every day I am in awe.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

51 Beauty

51 Beauty

"Lavender roses. Incarnate fragrance, Priestly hue of dawn, Spirit unfolding."

A particular secret organization I'm a member of imparts a training regimen that includes the practice of looking for and at the things you like while disregarding the rest. After practicing this simple behavioral modification for more than 30 years, I swear to you I can appreciate and enjoy things while others around me are flummoxed and vexed. I am honored to bear the mantle inscribed, "I can see beauty wherever I gaze." Often, the beauty is allayed at another point in the story, not immediately shown; it is up to me, the beholder, to fathom its existence. If you look for what you don't like, that, too, will be revealed and eventually inscribed upon your heart.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

50 Interaction

50 Interaction

"We make life real By the thoughts we project."

Reality is nothing more than a scaffold of webbing draped with projections of reflections.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

49 Death

49 Death

"Death is The opposite Of time."

The Tao Te Ching talks about death very unlike western discussion which embroils it with fear. For the person steeped in Tao death is just another thing to do well. We should prepare for it as a sort of home coming. We are returning to the root from which we came.

This is a good place to remember that the Taoist regards questions as a kind of violence. The Valley Spirit directed will result in unintended consequences so it is better to not ask a forceful question. Knowing that we die is enough, master that and the queries matter less and less. Have a good death!

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

48 Knowledge

48 Knowledge

"Life is Beauty, Terror, Knowledge."

I was just talking with others and we were discussing why it is so important to live a life of transparency. Keeping secrets, hiding from painful reality becomes a mental prison. The way memory works in order to avoid one memory you also have to avoid the surrounding memories and on and on because of the threshold firing rate of synapses, memories kind of work like an avalanche. "The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates (and every great mind throughout time).

Artwork by Neoglyphix the only all Indigenous aerosol art collective including Eroder, Vyal, LoKey, and it looks like one or two others I'm not sure.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

47 Impermanence

47 Impermanence

"Tidal windstorm

Splits trees and rock,

Yet cannot last a day.

So much less, man's work."

The surfing metaphor can be applied here. Understanding the ephemeral nature of change is empowering. letting go and leaning into it is how you ride the wave. Waiting is a powerfully meditative action.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

46 Organization

46 Organization

"Pattern and creativity

Are the two poles of action."

It is not merely looking at the details of our lives as a daily practice that makes the examined life worth living, it is the actions taken with the information. Mindful self-reflection is only useful because of the effortful actions that follow. It is equal to say actions are useless without the field mapping, nothing useful can be done without the thorough inventory.

What a hilarious video!

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.

45 Circulation

45 Circulation

"Spirituality begins in the loins,

Ascends up the back,

And returns to the navel."

I have been an avid reader of Taoism for several decades, never came across this teaching. Maybe I just wasn't ready for it. Western mentality can't help but scoff at such involvement. I like how this unites all my forms not just one 2d surface.

Brief commentary/review on the book 365 TAO Daily Meditations by Deng Ming Dao.