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Category Archives: Meditation
Forty-Nine – The Sage as Child
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
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Forty-Eight – Flowing
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
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Forty-Seven – Clearly, I am not the Sage
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
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Forty-Six – Enough is Enough
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
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Forty-Five – Stillness and Tranquility
Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe. I am sure you have experienced this feeling that good order is somehow tied to stillness and tranquility. In our everyday lives, the bustle of activity, the noise of constant action … Continue reading
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Forty-Four – Attachment
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
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Forty-Three – Without Substance
Forty-three is one of those chapters that encapsulates the Tao Te Ching nicely. It’s one that comes to mind when thinking about Taoism in general. In this very concise chapter, we have the idea of wei wu wei, along with … Continue reading
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Forty-Two – Harmony
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
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Forty-One – The Average Student
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
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Forty – From Nothing
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
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