| This is just a compilation of some thoughts on the Tao and Zen. For actually useful and/or insightful thoughts, please go either He-ahh or He-ahh. I know it's annoying when someone says click here, and I've never done so except for here, so slow down, speed boat. |
|
My mind is sometimes like a glass of water, into which some mud has been spilled. The activity of my body, the noise in my mind, serves to agitate the cloudy water. Only by quieting my mind, by calming my body can the mud slowly settle and the water once again become clear. I am often the agent that spills the mud into my own glass, or the glasses of others. However unintentionally this may occur, I must remain responsible and act accordingly. How should I be an effective leader in my home or job? Honor the best in myself, and the best in those around me. What is the best in myself? Those words, thoughts, and actions that bring joy and relieve suffering. What is the best in those around me? Their capacity to become loving and loved people. Does "bring joy" mean never being authoritative? Without direction, will the arrow ever fulfill its purpose? If it is sometimes necessary to provide direction, then I will do so. If it is sometimes necessary to push or pull someone to do what they know is right, then I will do so. What good is a slack rope? In that way, I honor what is most decent about them. In that way, I honor what is most decent about myself. If I find myself disparaging someone to another, I must shut up immediately. Praise in public, criticize in private. Learning about the Tao, learning about Zen, is like riding a horse. When I started riding horses I was 39 years old. I was and am being shown up by young women 1/3 my age. By "shown up" I mean they have achieved a level of proficiency, muscle memory, balance, knowledge, skill, focus, and grace far beyond mine. I am not athletically stupid. I am not intellectually stupid. Yet, I am so easily surpassed by these girls. And as such, they show me the Tao. As such, they teach me Zen. When I watch in awe as they maneuver at the gallop, just tweaking a bit here or there to manage clearing the brush fence seemingly without effort... I realize what I have to live up to. I know that it is not effortless. I know the work they put in, the practice. But the result? They fly over fences, joyful and purely in the moment. Helicopters are useful because they can remain still. Jars are useful because they are empty. Remain still, be empty. That is the best way to be of use. What makes a great teacher? The ability to draw out what was there all along. What if it is not there? Then the great teacher helps put it in place and the student believes it was there all along. How is that accomplished? Through trusting relationships. How does a relationship become trusting? When I respect others, I earn their respect. When I trust others, I earn their trust. Only by being a good person can I ever dare ask someone else to be good. Only by being a learner can I ever dare ask someone else to learn. Does letting go of attachments mean having no feelings, or not caring about someone or something? Letting go of attachments means letting go of outcomes, of future or past events. Letting go of attachments allows me to focus on the moment, to experience things as they are, to wonder and find joy in the present. Compassion remains, love remains, but it is focused on the person at hand, the thing at hand. In this way, I give that person or task my full attention, and thereby can be the most effective I can be. Letting go of attachments is not letting go of compassion; it embraces compassion in the living moment, where it can actually do something useful. Patience The muddy water is like my conscious being; sitting still, they clear. |