dao purity

purity Purity is light. We forget purity too much. We make compromises with our hygiene in the name of expediency. We allow our mountains and seashores to be polluted for the sake of the marketplace. We allow our minds to be sullied with frivolous entertainment. War is thought to be a viable option, principle is considered a negotiable quality, our children are victimized by strangers, and obscenity is considered a valid subject for art. Where is the purity in our lives? We marry. We divorce. We don't care whom we hurt in life. We think loyalty is a charming but meaningless virtue. We sacrifice the values of our youth to purchase the glory of our later years. Where is the purity in our lives? We think that if we can triumph in one golden moment, that will dissolve all the other filth we preoccupy ourselves with. We uphold the greatness of athletes who want to have that one moment of triumph. We laud the battlefield hero as the redeemer of our guilt over the horror of war, We have fostered madmen who think that shooting a gun, hunting down animals, committing suicide, or slashing prostitutes in the street is their means of purity. Where is the purity in our lives? Seek purity, It may not be easy, It may not be common. But it is the one state that we can attain that is without compromise. purity 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub we begin a new journey today to learn more about the history of taoism and the artwork generated by its message thank you to the Art Institute of Chicago: Taoism in Art exhibit and lessons The Dipper Mother Legend has it that many ages ago, a great queen vowed to give birth to children who would help to guide the movements of the Tao. One fine spring day, she disrobed and entered a pool to bathe. Suddenly, she felt "moved," and nine lotus buds rose from the pond. The lotus, a symbol borrowed from Buddhism, signifies purity and spiritual enlightenment since it rises from the mud (representing the physical impurities of the world) to become a brilliant flower. Each of these lotus buds opened to reveal a star, including the seven stars of the Northern Dipper (Big Dipper), one of the most important constellations in Taoism. Subsequently, this queen was deified, becoming known as the "Dipper Mother." This porcelain sculpture of the Dipper Mother depicts her as a heavenly goddess holding the sun and moon in her upraised hands. Her remaining 16 hands grasp various ritual implements and weapons. Like the Saintly Mother, Heavenly Immortal of the Eastern Peak, the Dipper Mother rose to prominence in the Ming dynasty. She is still worshiped today in special halls devoted to her at Taoist temples like the White Cloud Monastery, head of the Complete Realization sect in Beijing. 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 to unsubscribe or take a vacation, contact me with specifics at the same address!