dao returning

Angles against lavender sky Flung far across heaven’s vault. Unfettered, swallows Circle back to the nest. Swallows are famous for their daring speed and the unpredictable paths that they take in flight. Yet no matter how far they fly, they circle back to their nests. The idea of returning is significant for all of us. We must work, explore, travel, and make our achievements in life. No matter how much we strain and how wide we wander, we all need some lodestone, some center from which to operate. For some of us, this is a place, a home. For others, it is merely withdrawal into our own hearts. Followers of Tao believe that there is a core spirit to which each of us should return. This core spirit is increasingly obscured by our own thoughts and the complexity of civilization. All education, while a necessary evil, is a stain upon the primal soul. Therefore, returning is a process of simplification that throws off the unnecessary problems of socialization. One gradually peels back the layers and makes one’s way back to the unsullied, pure inner person. The time to do this is long, and one needs a great deal of guidance and self-cultivation to achieve it, but until one returns to the natural state, one cannot truly hope to be one with Tao. returning 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9 TIBET: TREASURES FROM THE ROOF OF THE WORLD The Potala Palace The Potala Palace is the symbol of Lhasa and a treasure of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts that sits at the peak of Potala Hill, a remote, yet breathtaking and picturesque mountainous hilltop at the edge of the roof of the world. T A O t e C H I N G t h i r t y - s i x That which shrinks Must first expand. That which fails Must first be strong. That which is cast down Must first be raised. Before receiving There must be giving. This is called perception of the nature of things. Soft and weak overcome hard and strong. Fish cannot leave deep waters, And a country's weapons should not be displayed. — translation by GIA -FU FENG If you want to shrink something, you must first allow it to expand. If you want to get rid of something, you must first allow it to flourish. If you want to take something, you must first allow it to be given. This is called the subtle perception of the way things are. The soft overcomes the hard. The slow overcomes the fast. Let your workings remain a mystery. Just show people the results. — translation by STEVEN MITCHELL To reduce someone's influence, first expand it; To reduce someone's force, first increase it; To overthrow someone, first exalt them; To take from someone, first give to them. This is the subtlety by which the weak overcome the strong: Fish should not leave their depths, And swords should not leave their scabbards. — translation by P. MEREL a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://wwww.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html (duckdaotsu receives a small donation if you purchase books from this source, thanks!) for a meditation sent to your email address each day, please write ’subscribe tao’ in the subject line and send to lisbeth at duckdaotsu

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