World Beyond

Work

It is better to wear out than to rust out.  --Bishop Richard Cumberland

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.  --Henri Matisse

Never be entirely idle; but either be reading, or writing, or praying, or meditating, or endeavoring something for the public good.  --Sanskrit Proverb

Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.  After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water.  --Zen Buddhist Saying

Tao -- Thirty-Eight

The Master doesn't try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.

The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.

The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.

When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.

Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.

Habits

We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.  --Aristotle

Wise living consists perhaps less in acquiring good habits than in acquiring as few habits as possible.  --Eric Hoffer

Tao -- Thirty-Seven

The Tao never does anything
yet through it all things are done.

If powerful men and women could center themselves int it,
the whole world would be transformed
by itself, in its natural rhythms.
People would be content
with their simple, everyday lives,
in harmony, and free of desire.

When there is no desire,
all things are at peace.

Morning Meditation

Meditation walk
Quiet mind, calm heart and soul
Cool pale clear blue sky
All nature more beautiful
Hearts connect through universe

Tao -- Thirty-Six

If you want to shrink something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception
of the way things are.

The soft overcomes the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings remain a mystery.
Just show people the results.

Nature's Surprises

Although my studies and career have been tied mostly to liberal arts, I've always been fond of science.  I enjoy reading books and articles dealing with physics, new technology, the universe and even biology.  I try to keep up with developments in these fields and see how they relate to spiritual matters, because I believe all truth will eventually point to the same place.  For example, ponder the Tao and then read some of the new ideas scientists have about the nature of the universe, and you'll see some interesting parallels. 

A recent series of articles on new developments in biology appear in the latest issue of The Economist, which is simply the best weekly news magazine in existence.  I recommend you take a look.

Scientists now believe they're on the brink of discovering revolutionary changes in the way biological processes work.  Proteins and DNA were earlier believed to be the main players at the cellular level, however, RNA is now appearing to play a much more important role than was previously understood.  As the role of RNA is studied and further refined, it could have far-reaching implications for the future of medicine and our understanding of evolutionary processes and life itself.

This new information is obviously important in the field of biology, but it also points to a larger issue.  When it comes to public discussions of scientific subjects, something that gets my blood boiling is the attitude of smugness and certainty that some scientists, but mostly policy and opinion-makers display when they claim that "science proves" this or that.  The history of science is a scrapheap of outmoded and subsequently discarded theories of the way things work.  Why should we think it will stop with this generation?

The bottom line is, there are still many unknowns out there, in biology as well as other fields.  Discoveries over the next few years will radically alter our current conception of the way life developed, evolved, operates and will continue to evolve.  So stay tuned...keep reading...you will likely need to forget what you learned in school 20 or even 5 years ago.  Always remember to keep an open mind, and probably more importantly, an open heart.

 

Soul Development II

Be humble and you will grow.  --Jon Peniel

Perfection is the child of time.  --Joseph Hall

Energy and persistence conquer all things.  --Benjamin Franklin

The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we would appear to be; all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.  --Socrates

Tao -- Thirty-Five

She who is centered on the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger
She perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great pain,
because she has found peace in her heart.

Music or the smell of good cooking
may make people stop and enjoy.
But words that point to the Tao
seem monotonous and without flavor.
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

Soul Development

Our faith must be alive.  It cannot be just a set of rigid beliefs and notions.  Our faith must evolve every day and bring us joy, peace, freedom and love.  --Thich Nhat Hanh

When our beliefs are based on our own direct experience of reality and not on notions offered by others, no one can remove these beliefs from us.  --Thich Nhat Hanh

Angels come in many shapes and sizes, and most of them are not invisible.  --Martha Beck

The wealth of the soul is measured by how much it can feel; it's poverty by how little.  --W.R. Alger