in the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind
(H.H.The Dalai Lama)
i think this is a good place for me to start: do i have peace of mind? if the answer is yes, then that is wonderful. if the answer is no, i need to examine my life to find out why. and fix it. this finding out can be done by some type of introspective thinking. journal writing is a good place to begin. this allows me to hold a conversation with myself. this gives me a place to call home-MY home, which I don't have to share with anyone, unless I choose to do so. i get to know myself. do i have peace of mind where i am and just not realize it? this is something which i can discover over several weeks of writing. if i truly don't, then what can i do about it? can i change my point of view, so that i have it where i am? can i change the situation where i am, so that i have peace of mind? if the answer is no, i need to determine what will give me peace of mind and find it. if leaving a situation, i suggest solitude for a time. this way i get to know the person i am now as i am. i am probably not the person i thought i was. so some time meditating, having more conversations with myself, and, after a while, making new friends lets me find out both who i am and who i want to be. simply to have peace of mind.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
P'u (the Uncarved Block)
i want to explain the concept of the Uncarved Block by means of an excerpt from a verse 48 of the Tao Te Ching:
pursue knowledge, daily gain
pursue Tao, daily loss
the word translated as "Uncarved Block" in Chinese is P'u or P'o. it refers to the state of original simplicity, of original being-as-it-is. the more i have about a tree, for instance, the less i know about the tree-as-it-is. my knowledge is wrapped around me until all i can see about the tree are my concepts of "leaves" "green" "bark" "brown" etc. all i can hear about the tree are my concepts of "blowing in the wind" "branches rustling "leaves falling" etc. i cannot see or hear a tree in front of me as it is. the concept of P'u is very important in the Tao Te Ching. returning to a state where one can experience the original state of the world, become like a babe, be like the Uncarved Block is the aim of the Tao Te Ching. i am born into the world able to experience the world as it is. the more i grow, the more i learn about the state of the world. the greater and denser becomes the cloak of knowledge, or words, even, that obscures this world that I once knew. the less i am able to do without this cloak of knowledge, this "action" about action. the aim of Taoism is to unwrap this cloak, to become like a babe, to erase the carvings on the block of wood. to learn, ultimately, how to do and be nothing.
pursue knowledge, daily gain
pursue Tao, daily loss
the word translated as "Uncarved Block" in Chinese is P'u or P'o. it refers to the state of original simplicity, of original being-as-it-is. the more i have about a tree, for instance, the less i know about the tree-as-it-is. my knowledge is wrapped around me until all i can see about the tree are my concepts of "leaves" "green" "bark" "brown" etc. all i can hear about the tree are my concepts of "blowing in the wind" "branches rustling "leaves falling" etc. i cannot see or hear a tree in front of me as it is. the concept of P'u is very important in the Tao Te Ching. returning to a state where one can experience the original state of the world, become like a babe, be like the Uncarved Block is the aim of the Tao Te Ching. i am born into the world able to experience the world as it is. the more i grow, the more i learn about the state of the world. the greater and denser becomes the cloak of knowledge, or words, even, that obscures this world that I once knew. the less i am able to do without this cloak of knowledge, this "action" about action. the aim of Taoism is to unwrap this cloak, to become like a babe, to erase the carvings on the block of wood. to learn, ultimately, how to do and be nothing.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tao is now
"As long as the sun rises
And your heart beats
Tao is at hand"
Deng Ming Tao
Why do I look for Tao in obscure places? Why do I seek Tao in mysterious Sages? As long as I breath, Tao is here within me. I might be only dimly aware of this, but that dim awareness does not change the presence of Tao. Being in nature will help; meditation will help; both will help bring me to a better awareness of Tao. Even if I do neither of these, Tao is right at hand. Do I feel? Do I sense? Then I have direct access to Tao. Don't delay! Sense for it. Feel it. Tao is breath. Tao is now!
And your heart beats
Tao is at hand"
Deng Ming Tao
Why do I look for Tao in obscure places? Why do I seek Tao in mysterious Sages? As long as I breath, Tao is here within me. I might be only dimly aware of this, but that dim awareness does not change the presence of Tao. Being in nature will help; meditation will help; both will help bring me to a better awareness of Tao. Even if I do neither of these, Tao is right at hand. Do I feel? Do I sense? Then I have direct access to Tao. Don't delay! Sense for it. Feel it. Tao is breath. Tao is now!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Silence
Talking too much exhausts the mouth.
Better to keep your thoughts within you.
silence is not of value in our culture. those who keep quiet are seen as odd, taciturn, introverts (which they may be.). keeping words within myself can be a good thing. this can stop me from saying something harmful or unkind. this lets me think before i speak.i do not wish to speak upon that which i do not know. these days i know less and less. so i speak less. i have made one day per week, thursday, a day of complete silence. i only speak to do my prayers or to speak to an elder. this is remarkably restful for both mouth and brain. i get to take a break from all the chit-chat, the talk of the monkey mind, which goes on during the course of a day. this talk i am often not even aware of. i stay away from television, music with words. i spend my time listening to the world around me. what i can hear is wonderful.i hear the birds singing. i hear the shout of children playing. i hear the rain again the windows or the wind blowing through the trees. and sometimes, esp. when it is snowing, i hear...silence.
Better to keep your thoughts within you.
silence is not of value in our culture. those who keep quiet are seen as odd, taciturn, introverts (which they may be.). keeping words within myself can be a good thing. this can stop me from saying something harmful or unkind. this lets me think before i speak.i do not wish to speak upon that which i do not know. these days i know less and less. so i speak less. i have made one day per week, thursday, a day of complete silence. i only speak to do my prayers or to speak to an elder. this is remarkably restful for both mouth and brain. i get to take a break from all the chit-chat, the talk of the monkey mind, which goes on during the course of a day. this talk i am often not even aware of. i stay away from television, music with words. i spend my time listening to the world around me. what i can hear is wonderful.i hear the birds singing. i hear the shout of children playing. i hear the rain again the windows or the wind blowing through the trees. and sometimes, esp. when it is snowing, i hear...silence.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
relinguishing control
the student of Tao loses something day-by-day
by continually losing,
one reaches doing nothing
she who conquers the world often does so by doing nothing
in this day, doing nothing is extremely difficult for me. i used to start the day with my long to-do list. i would check off each item as it were done and feel a sense of accomplishment. i had DONE something! really, though, what had i done, other than check something off on a list? would the day have flowed any less smoothly had i not checked off items on my list? no, but i felt in CONTROL.
who was in control? i or the list? the list was! i had dedicated my day to following its dictates.now i am trying an experiment. other than a few things which MUST be done due to health matters, i don't have lists. i let the day tell me where it wants me to go. i relinquish control to the flow of Tao. if i awaken and my body says to sleep more, i sleep more. if i have energy and can speak, i go do my chanting. if i cannot speak just then, i go do yoga nidra. sometimes i just lay there and do nothing.
doing nothing comes to me in baby steps. sometimes i cannot do it at all. i jump out of bed, say i HAVE to do this, this, and this. often i find that this, this, and this does not get done. Tao has other movements that i slip into, like letting myself slide into a current in the water. i have gotten better at recognizing THIS as a dictator and removing myself from its chains. i slow down my speed, check my tension spots. relax my shoulders, my jaw, my knees. remember to breathe. that all i have to do today is to breathe, eat, BE.
by continually losing,
one reaches doing nothing
she who conquers the world often does so by doing nothing
in this day, doing nothing is extremely difficult for me. i used to start the day with my long to-do list. i would check off each item as it were done and feel a sense of accomplishment. i had DONE something! really, though, what had i done, other than check something off on a list? would the day have flowed any less smoothly had i not checked off items on my list? no, but i felt in CONTROL.
who was in control? i or the list? the list was! i had dedicated my day to following its dictates.now i am trying an experiment. other than a few things which MUST be done due to health matters, i don't have lists. i let the day tell me where it wants me to go. i relinquish control to the flow of Tao. if i awaken and my body says to sleep more, i sleep more. if i have energy and can speak, i go do my chanting. if i cannot speak just then, i go do yoga nidra. sometimes i just lay there and do nothing.
doing nothing comes to me in baby steps. sometimes i cannot do it at all. i jump out of bed, say i HAVE to do this, this, and this. often i find that this, this, and this does not get done. Tao has other movements that i slip into, like letting myself slide into a current in the water. i have gotten better at recognizing THIS as a dictator and removing myself from its chains. i slow down my speed, check my tension spots. relax my shoulders, my jaw, my knees. remember to breathe. that all i have to do today is to breathe, eat, BE.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
returning to the Wu-Chi
she who is conscious of the white
but keeps to the black
becomes the model for the world
being the model for the world
she has the power which never errs
and returns again to the Wu-Chi
to enter the nameless gate and return again to the Wu-Chi. to simplify my life so that there are no non-necessary distractions. to get my life-cycle back. to take advantage of the bright and keep to the dark. to write from my heart and know my intellect also. to let my knowledge go.
the simplification will involve several steps. the first i am doing is greatly reducing the amount of words i speak.
she who speaks does not know
she who knows does not speak
i do not think i know. but my silence will at least not weary my mouth and the ears of others.
but keeps to the black
becomes the model for the world
being the model for the world
she has the power which never errs
and returns again to the Wu-Chi
to enter the nameless gate and return again to the Wu-Chi. to simplify my life so that there are no non-necessary distractions. to get my life-cycle back. to take advantage of the bright and keep to the dark. to write from my heart and know my intellect also. to let my knowledge go.
the simplification will involve several steps. the first i am doing is greatly reducing the amount of words i speak.
she who speaks does not know
she who knows does not speak
i do not think i know. but my silence will at least not weary my mouth and the ears of others.
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