dao engagement

engagement Prey passes the tiger who Sometimes merely looks, Sometimes pounces without hesitation, But never fails to act. Life is a constant series of opportunities. If we don’t reach out for things, if we don’t take advantage of what comes our way, then we cannot be in harmony with the essential nature of life. The tiger is the same way, He conforms to every situation that comes. If he spots prey and is not ready to hunt, he will let it go. But he has not failed to act. He has knowingly let the prey escape, and this is much different from someone who loses a situation through slow reflexes or inability. When the tiger wants his prey, he pounces upon it without any thought or hesitation. There are no morals, no guilt, no psychological problems, no ideologies to interfere with the purity of his action. This undiminished grace in action is called nonaction. This is engagement. Whatever comes to you, you must engage it somehow. You receive it, you may later the circumstances and let it go, you may interject something of your own into it, or you may knowingly let it pass. Whatever you do, there is no need to be apathetic toward life. Instead, full participation in all things is the surest way to happiness, vitality, success, and a deep knowledge of Tao. engagement 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 Figure of a lady Excavated from the tomb of Xianyutinghui, Xiían, Shaanxi Province, in 1957 Tang dynasty, 618-906 CE Earthenware with blue three-color, sancai, glaze height 44.5 cm In the early Tang dynasty, figurines reflect the slender ideal form. In the middle Tang period the full-figured body and round-cheeked face became the fashion. This matronly woman with her delicate features wears a loose robe with low neckline and a loose jacket with wide sleeves. Her hair is gathered in a loose topknot. National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing T A O t e C H I N G t h r e e Not praising the worthy prevents contention, Not esteeming the valuable prevents theft, Not displaying the beautiful prevents desire. In this manner the sage governs people: Emptying their minds, Filling their bellies, Weakening their ambitions, And strengthening their bones. If people lack knowledge and desire Then they can not act; If no action is taken Harmony remains. literature on daoism purchased from Amazon.com through our Associates program will assist the work of duckdaotsu. To help, start your search from the many resources at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html 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