dao morning

morning morning. New Day. Joy of birth. All we need is the morning. As long as there is sunrise, then there is the possibility that we can face all our misfortunes, celebrate all our blessings, and live all our endeavors as human beings. Spirituality is something that has become necessary in these troubled times. Yet it is inherently superfluous. We need it to remind ourselves, to bolster ourselves, to integrate ourselves, to fulfill ourselves. If we could simply acknowledge the mystery of night and the glory of morning, we would need neither civilization nor spirituality. At its simples, life begins with dawn. That is blessing enough. That is happiness enough. All else becomes fullness immeasurable. At dawn, kneel down and give thanks to this wonderful event. We may think mornings are so common that they are unworthy of veneration, but how do you realize most places in the the cosmos do not have mornings? This daily event is our supreme goodness. Greet the dawn. That is your miracle to witness. That is the ultimate beauty. That is sacredness. That is your gift from heaven. That is your omen of prophesy. That is knowledge that life is not futile. That is enlightenment. That is your meaning in life, That is your directive. That is your comfort. That is the solemnity of duty. That is inspiration for compassion. That is the light of the ultimate. morning 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub Tomb Tile with Queen Mother of the West Eastern Han dynasty, 2nd century Stamped earthenware tile 41 x 47 cm Sichuan Provincial Museum, Chengdu cat. no. 24 thank you to the Art Institute of Chicago Taoism in Art exhibit and lessons Tomb Tile with the Queen Mother of the West This tomb tile shows the Queen Mother of the West in her palace on Mount Kunlun, a sacred mountain. One of the most important goddesses of the Taoist pantheon, the Queen Mother of the West was believed to be the supreme matriarch who governed all other female deities. This tile comes from Sichuan province, heart of the Way of the Celestial Masters—the earliest religious movement to lay the foundation for religious Taoism. The tile dates to the very time that this movement was first coming to power. Many early legends tell of mortals, especially rulers, who traveled to Mount Kunlun to meet with the Queen Mother of the West and to be entertained at feasts hosted by her. Since this tile was excavated from a tomb, the feast shown on it may represent the afterlife. As a feminine image, the Queen Mother of the West is associated with yin energy; the location of her palace on Mount Kunlun, toward the west, is also associated with yin. Here she is seated between a tiger and dragon, symbols of yin and yang that represent her transcendence of these two energies. To her left, a hare holds a candelabra while a toad dances in front of her. These animals symbolize the moon, yin counterpart to the yang sun. today's lesson: The ancient Chinese believed that matter and energy (qi) were fundamentally the same. With their forms thrusting up toward the heavens, mountains were the most visible examples of energy converted into matter. As such they have always played an important role in the religious beliefs of the Chinese. Central to the worship of mountains was the belief that there were Five Sacred Peaks, in the north, south, east, west, and center of China, that were directly linked to the heavens. Because of their special energy, mountains were believed to nurture the magical herbs and fungi used in elixirs of immortality. They were also considered fitting places for meditation and spiritual retreat. Mountains also served as the earthly homes of immortals and gods. One of the most famous early goddesses, the Queen Mother of the West, was believed to dwell on a sacred mountain called Kunlun to the far west of China. She was thought to have appeared to several emperors to teach them the arts of longevity and was worshiped by all levels of society as a divine matriarch. Other immortals were also associated with mountains. In fact, some of the most important Taoist temples devoted to these immortals were actually built on their sacred mountains. Worship of these immortals, including the Queen Mother of the West, continues in Chinese communities today. 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