Category Archives: Meditation

The sage has no mind of his own. Having no mind of his or her own, the sage has room for everyone else.  As Lao Tsu says, he is aware of the needs of others. When we embrace the Big … Continue reading →

The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering. In the film Rivers and Tides, Andy Goldsworthy makes a piece of art that really struck me deeply. He took a series of large … Continue reading →

The farther you go, the less you know. Thus the sage knows without traveling; He sees without looking; He works without doing. It takes an act of the will to get back to this project. If I float along thinking, … Continue reading →

Attachment and desire, as we have seen (for instance, in Forty-Four), are the root of human suffering. It is a cliche to point to the many examples of decadence in American society as a sure sign that we are in … Continue reading →

As the second of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths tells us, it is through Upādāna, or attachment, and the craving that it leads to that suffering arises. The answers to the three questions that Lao Tsu poses in the first … Continue reading →

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces. The notion of balance is one common in most bodies of wisdom. I believe this is our first meeting with yin-yang, at least by … Continue reading →

The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently. The average student hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again. The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud. If there were no laughter, … Continue reading →

Returning is the motion of the Tao. Yielding is the way of the Tao. The ten thousand things are born of being. Being is born of not being. Halfway. At the midpoint of the Tao Te Ching, we come again … Continue reading →