dao ending

ending A shadow edge is never on the edge. The time to contemplate the ending is before the ending. Five days left to this [Western] year. There will be an ending. And there will be a new beginning. That is Tao. If you look at a vase by a window and examine what makes it appear round, you will see a shadow on it. That is the shadow edge. The main light source strikes the vase on one side, and reflected light comes from the other. In the same way that the shadow edge, which establishes the roundness of an object to our eyes, is never at the edge, so too should we consider limits and endings before we reach them. We cannot do without limits and endings. They bring definition to our endeavors. But if we are to use them to our advantage, we have to plan how to meet them. For those who follow Tao, those who can accommodate endings gracefully are among the most admired. In the past, emperors, scholars, holy people, or others who were fully in touch with themselves could know the moment of their deaths. While they were still vital, they wrote farewell poems. Such people knew how to consider endings before they reached them. Therefore, there were no regrets or lingering ramifications once they passed. The purity of the next cycle was ensured. ending 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub Gentry Among New Pines by Fu Bao Shi receive a full HTML copy of the daily meditation sent directly to your inbox, please send a note with the words "subscribe tao" in the subject line to duckdaotsu