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THE FINAL QUESTION...
At times we see only that which we want to see. In a
world of sensory overload, where beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all lines can be tested and crossed at any time - we must begin this journey called life at the one point which creates for us the final step into the abyss... That final question which brings us to our senses as it were and causes us to live anew. The moment when facts fade into fiction and all questions are resolved in the whirlwind of the "endless meditation" which comes sooner or later to all who close their eyes for the last time.
In trying to find the source of all that is true and good and real - we spend most of our days wandering in circles of philisophical goo - unable to take the final step which starts our life's journey in one singular, emphatic leap of faith. Great courage is needed to step onto a pathless path - a world which is unwritten and uncharted. To glimpse into the mind of the Infinite is not without its perils but is well worth the effort.
Step by step we venture on into the great unknown. Moment by moment we grasp at the ellusive golden ring. In a blink of an eye we come face to face with our mortality. In an instant all those things which seemed so important fade to black...
It is in a moment like this which, when it comes to us, we must take the opportunity to be honest and true with ourselves and count the cost of living a life. A life which we can lay on the alter of all which has preceded this moment. A life which is laced with moments spent in the shade of unconditional love. A life which is etched in the hearts and minds molded through example and all things bright and beautiful. A life which glows in the embers of all things immortal...
So that when all is said and done, we realize that the final question is in fact the first question which greets us at each new day - a day we are given to experience this thing called life. The final question is both simple and profound. Peaceful and yet full of anticipation. In the final question we begin where we left off - transfixed by this thing called life - greatful to be alive. Wishing and hoping for one more day...
Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Choose your words, for they become your actions. Understand your actions, for they become your habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character for it becomes your destiny.- Author Unknown
Faith Hope & Love
There must be some hidden meaning to the ideas that swirl around the words Faith Hope and Love. We all know that in order to live life to its fullest we need faith hope and love - the intrinsic mind-stuff that makes the world have meaning. The all in all to everything worth holding on to. In a world of chaos and nearing the total colapse of civilization - with all of the drama that goes along with such events - I find myself wishing. Wishing for a change... A time when life still held its innocense in the mind of a baby. When up was up and down was down.
It seems that now all we get for the buck is a bunch of useless chatter which leaves us feeling empty and lost. Try as we might nothing really seems to fill that aching void which whirls around in our head never really stopping or giving us any indication of how we got here - to this moment, this lost state on mind.
We hurry around acting like we are doing something important. Something which has to be done. Chasing our tails, as it were, in an endless stream of media hype and useless data. Mindless chatter which makes one wonder what the fuss is all about. It's time for a change.
So, change we must. The first step is to step back from all the political posturing, the endless drama that passes for usefull information. We must find the inner strength to admit our need of direction. Our need for a perspective which can shower our path with the Light of Life and guide our very steps. We must stop and see the beauty all around us - in spite of the shadows which eclipse the light in our everyday struggle to rise above it all. We must grasp the ungraspable. Higher than the highest human thought - this is where we belong.
The first steps must be taken in silence. The quiet solitude of knowing that all is not lost. There is hope. There is love... Have faith my friend - Just believe.
Taoism - The Basics
http://www.goldenelixir.com/taoism.html
Taoism
Words exist because of meaning; once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?
Zhuangzi, chapter 26 (B. Watson, The Complete Works of Chuang-tzu, 302)
In a general way, Taoism may be defined as a traditional form of thought and religion, based on some central notions, cults, and practices but never subject to systematization as a whole, and syncretic but at the same time self-contained--in the sense that while it integrates many elements from other traditions, it frequently emphasizes its distinction from them. These basic features underlie different formulations of doctrinal notions and a large variety of practices, ranging from self-cultivation to communal rituals.
The main early Taoist text is the Daode jing (Scripture of the Way and its Virtue), a short work consisting of aphorisms attributed to Laozi (the Old Master, or Old Child). Although some scholars have suggested that other sources might be slightly earlier, virtually all movements and lineages within Taoism consider this as the founding scripture of the entire tradition, even though they may venerate their own texts and their own founders. Another early work, the Zhuangzi (Book of Master Zhuang), has provided Taoism with doctrines, notions, and technical vocabulary throughout its history. Despite differences in emphasis, the two texts present the same view of the Dao and its relation to the world.
The word dao has two main meanings, namely "way" and "method." The early Taoist texts are the first ones to use this word to mean the Absolute. For the Daode jing, the Dao has no name and is beyond any description or definition; the word dao itself is used only because one "is forced" to refer to it. The Dao is unknowable, has no form and therefore does not undergo change, is "constant," and is "invisible, inaudible, and imperceptible." The two principles of Non-being (wu) and Being (you) are contained within it. Yet the Dao, in spite of its being "indistinct and vague" (huanghu), contains an "essence" (jing) that is the seed of the world of multiplicity. Under this second aspect--which can be distinguished from the previous one only from the perspective of the domain of relativity--the Dao is the "beginning" of the world and its "mother."
The person who has "returned to the Dao" is called in the Daode jing the shengren, a term that in a Taoist context may be translated as "saint" to distinguish him from the Confucian "sage." As the highest realized human being who has achieved liberation in life, the Taoist saint has transcended the limitations of individuality and form; he continues to remain in the world of multiplicity until he has completely fulfilled his function in it, but from an absolute point of view, which is the one in which he constantly dwells, his self-identity is already null, for he is identified with absolute Principle. In the human world, he "practices the teaching without words" and "makes it possible for the ten thousand things to function, but does not start them."
To a significant extent, the history of Taoism may be seen as a continuous restatement of the principles enunciated in the early founding texts. To an equally significant extent, its development has been marked by the adaptation to varying historical circumstances, the response to the needs and demands of different social groups, and the incorporation of notions, beliefs, cults, and practices derived from other trends of thought and religion.
At the beginning of this process is the deification of Laozi, now represented not only as the sage who expounds the metaphysical doctrines of the Daode jing, but also as a messiah who embodies the Dao and reappears at different times either as a sage counselor of political rulers, or as the inspirer of religious leaders. In one of his transformations, Lord Lao appeared (in 142 CE, according to the traditional date) to a healer, Zhang Daoling, in the southwestern region of Sichuan. Lord Lao established a covenant (meng) with Zhang Daoling, revealing to him the teaching of Orthodox Unity (zhengyi) and bestowing upon him the title of Celestial Master (tianshi). This revelation is at the origin of the
Way of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi dao), a priestly lineage that continues to exist in the present day.
The diaspora of the Celestial Masters' communities after the end of the Han (early third century) resulted in the expansion of the new religion to other parts of China. Its spread in Jiangnan, the region south of the lower Yangzi River, was one of the prerequisites for the formation of two other major corpora of Taoist doctrines, texts, and practices in the second half of the fourth century. The first corpus, known as Shangqing (Highest Clarity), derived from revelations that occurred from 364 to 370 and was centered on meditation practices; the second, known as Lingbao (Numinous Treasure), derived from revelations that occurred between ca. 395 and 405 and was based on communal ritual. These two codifications clearly define, for the first time, the two main poles of Taoism as a whole, namely inner, individual practices on the one hand, and collective practices for the community of the faithful, or for the dead, on the other.
The relations among these traditions were formally codified in the early fifth century in the system of the Three Caverns (sandong). Its main purpose was to hierarchically arrange the different legacies of Jiangnan, assigning the higher rank to Shangqing, the intermediate one to Lingbao, and the lower one to other local traditions. Around 500 CE, the corpora associated with the Daode jing, the Taiping jing (Scripture of Great Peace), alchemy, and the Way of the Celestial Masters were incorporated into this system and assigned to the so-called Four Supplements (sifu). The Three Caverns also provided the formal schema for other important aspects of Taoist doctrine and practice, including the ordination stages of the Taoist priests (daoshi) and the arrangement of scriptural and other writings in the collections of Taoist texts (Daozang) that began to take shape from the early fifth century.
This model continued to perform this function even after the contours of Taoist religion were reshaped by several new revelations and codifications during the Song period (960-1279) and later, and by the creation in the early thirteenth century of Quanzhen (Complete Reality, or Complete Perfection), a monastic order that is, with the Way of the Celestial Masters, the main branch of present-day Taoism.
BE STILL AND KNOW...In a world where so many people seem to be displaced and unaware of their true potential - where all around us we hear of, and see so much pain and tragedy on a daily basis - it is hard not to become complacent, even cynical to the point that we throw up our hands and give up all hope. It is easy to get so wrapped up in the details of this life that we sucomb to the mind numbing challenges we are confronted with each and every waking moment.But as the sun sets and the lights go out - our world becomes less driven by the beat of a different drummer - we find ourselves thinking about the possibilites. The thoughts of genius arise from these moments in time. The power to go on - to try again - is found in the quiet, darkness of nowhere - the rhythm of our beating hearts filling the void that we feel. In these quiet moments the peace we are longing for stands ready to give us what we need. We need only to "let go..."Finding the inner strength to fight the fight of future fears - yet unknown - comes to us one moment at a time. In the silence of the inner solitude - when life's endless noise is quieted - we find ourselves face to face with the power which awaits our command. We discover the truth which is always ready to come to our rescue. It is in this moment that all the universe stands still and bows to our wishes..."Be still and know that I AM..."
Back In The Swing...Sometimes life will throw you a curve ball, a human juggerknott that cannot be undone. The totallity of the situation is so overwhelming that only in the aftermath can the enormity of the situation fe'tal be correctly understood. My mind is tripping, skipping, looking for a way out...The sun won't shine, the rain won't stop. Coming up empty - alone again in a cold world, seems to be the norm... Still I must try. Try as I might nothing seems to change. Coming up empty-handed wondering if this is my last breath... Alone....And still somehow the will to go on never stops beating somewhere deep inside. We all feel it. Sometimes ignore it... But still it persists... Like a bullet shot in the dark we feel the urge, the desire to be something, to go on and make something out of nothing. The still small voice is still talking, whispering, callling out to us telling us to "look and live." Even in the darkest dark - the blackest black night, the power to live pushes us forward, like a beating heart, never sleeping - just keeping the rhythm - the rhythm of hope...No matter how far you have fallen, no matter where you are - You have hope. You have the spark that ignites the fire of Love. Have faith in the knowledge that all things work themselves out in good times - and in bad. Just keep breathing. keep listening to your heart... beat. Know that you are not alone. I've been where you are... Never give up. Just trust in the ONE who knows how to mend the broken heart - the broken life.... All is not lost! Open your eyes and see that the sun is coming up... even in the middle of your darkest night... the moon shines with the light of the sun. Trust the wisdom of the ages... You will come back better than ever. Like a tiger... Back in the swing!
"Men craving holiness use words-to create images of their gods,
and confuse faith with their pride in their own inventions.
The Taoist sage shuns words and trusts silence-
knowing full well the Tao is beyond the reach of concepts." The Tao Te Ching
