dao work

work The woodcutter works in all seasons. Splitting wood is both Action and inaction. Even when it is snowy, the woodcutter must split wood. Unless he does, he and his family will not stay warm, and those who depend upon him will not survive. But the woodcutter does not work simply on a piecemeal basis. He labors in concert with the seasons. He worked hard to store wood prior to the first cold so that he would have the luxury of merely splitting kindling now. His work seems slight in one season, because he was industrious in the previous one. When he splits wood, he must place the log on the block and raise his axe. But he must strike the wood with the grain, and he must let the axe fall with its own weight. If he tries to chop across the grain, his effort would be wasted. If he tries to add strength to the swing of the axe, there would be no gain. Like the woodcutter, we can all benefit from working according to seasonal circumstances. Whether it is the time of the method, true labor is half initiative and half knowing how to let things proceed on their own. work 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 duckdaotsu.org tao hub Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning (detail) Ming dynasty, 16th century Hanging scroll1 ink and colors on silk 140 x 80 cm White Cloud Monastery (Baiyun Guan), Beijing cat. no. 65 Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning This and the following two paintings (Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure and Celestial Worthy of the Way and Its Power) come not from a museum or private collection, but rather from an active Taoist temple: the White Cloud Monastery2 in Beijing, head temple of the Complete Realization sect3. Although this painting comes from a different original set than the other two, it would have originally been part of a triptych depicting the Three Purities4, the highest gods of religious Taoism5. This is the central deity of the Three Purities, the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning. As his name implies, he is believed to have spontaneously formed from pure energy at the beginning of the world. According to legend, he observed the shifting patterns of energy and created the first writing system from them by casting the patterns in gold onto jade tablets. Consequently, he is seen as both the source of all learning and the first author of Taoist scriptures. The first and loftiest section of the Taoist Canon6 is dedicated to him. Here, he is shown seated on an elaborate throne that hovers in the cloudlike energy of his celestial realm. He is dressed in the manner of a Taoist priest, with his hands in a magical gesture that imitates a Buddhist mudra7. His spiritual energy radiates outward in a mandorla8 of swirling colors. glossary: 1 hanging scroll a painting or piece of calligraphy made in the form of a vertical scroll hung either on a wall or from the end of an attendant's pole. Unlike oil canvases or panels, scroll paintings could be easily taken down and replaced at various times of the year to suit the tastes of visitors or to mark certain occasions, such as the changing seasons. Scroll paintings are remounted every few decades to repair any damage and help preserve the image 2 White Cloud Monastery (Baiyun Guan) one of the most famous Taoist monasteries in China. The temple, located in Beijing, was first built in the Tang dynasty and assumed its present name when it was rebuilt in 1394 during the Ming dynasty. 3 Complete Realization sect a Taoist monastic order founded in northern China around 1160. The sect combines the teachings of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The goal of the sect's followers was to attain immortality by perfectly realizing the Tao in themselves. Both male and female members of this sect practiced a strict monastic lifestyle. It survives today as one of the two major sects of Taoism, and its headquarters is the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing. 4 Three Purities (Three Clarities) the highest deities in Taoism, they reside over the three greatest heavenly realms. Their names are the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure, and the Celestial Worthy of the Way and Its Power. 5 religiousTaoism a term used to define Taoism as an organized, institutionalized religion as opposed to the original philosophical tradition. Religious Taoism developed between the second and fifth centuries A.D. and built on the earlier philosophical foundations. Unlike philosophical Taoism, religious Taoism incorporated new ritual practices and religious institutions, established a priesthood, defined the Taoist Canon, and created a pantheon of deities. 6 Taoist Canon the collected scriptures of Taoism, systematically catalogued by imperial decree for the first time in the fifth century A.D. The present Taoist Canon dates to the 15th century. 7 mudra mystical hand gestures common in Hinduism and Buddhism 8 mandorla an almond-shaped halo of light enclosing the whole of some sacred figures Copyright © 2000, The Art Institute of Chicago. Here are some reminders of what we have already studied: click on each to revisit that day's meditation and lesson! 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