Be self-sufficient but not isolated. All the philosophy of Tao is intended to lead to self-sufficiency. Whatever one needs to do in life, one should be able to do on one’s own. Whether one is trapped in the wilderness or whether one is dealing with a social gathering requiring etiquette and grace, one should be able to cope with aplomb and ease. Being self-sufficient is not the same as being isolated. This is a very important point. When the king of China closed the borders, the country was self-sufficient enough to enjoy the contentment. But eventually an inbred society developed. Stagnation and decay set in. The same problems can arise in people who are so self-sufficient that they fail to engage life fully. Either they will implode from the sheer weight of their own decadence and stagnation, or they will explode once the outside world confronts them with something they cannot comprehend. Those who follow Tao roam the world. They may avail themselves of the temporary advantages of withdrawal and intense self-cultivation, but they do not become permanently isolated. They flow with the Tao, are with all things, and therefore avoid decadence. self-sufficiency 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author)
archived at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/115/self-sufficiency.html a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html visit duckdaotsu's store for exclusive gifts and prints! http://www.cafepress.com/duckdaotsu/ (still creating Reba's exhibit)
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Saturday
dao self-sufficiency
Thursday
dao sustaining
Orange and gold carp, In the rapidly chilling autumn, ponds begin to ice over. The waters become deep, dark, and mysterious, but in those depths the fish can survive the coming winter. Tao may be known as directly as water is knowable to a fish. My Tao will not be the same as your Tao. We are both individuals, each with different backgrounds and thoughts. As soon as Tao enters into us, it takes on the colors of our inner personalities. When it passes out of us, it returns again to its universal nature. This is an ongoing and constant process, like water flowing through a fish’s gills. Just as the water nurtures the fish, so too does Tao nurture and sustain us. As long as we continue our immersion in Tao, we will be as safe as a carp in water. When we separate from Tao, we are as helpless as a fish out of water. sustaining 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9
archived at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/115/sustaining.html a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html visit duckdaotsu's store for exclusive gifts and prints! http://www.cafepress.com/duckdaotsu/ (still creating Reba's exhibit)
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Wednesday
dao singing
All of nature is song. Sometimes the song is in a minor key, with purple tones that stir the soul, bursting the heart with pent-up emotions. Sometimes it is joyous, full of rich melodies and grand chords that bring electric thrills. Sometimes it descends into strange modes, guttural chants, and obscure dissonances. It is up to each of us to sing as we feel moved by the overall song of life. Do we harmonize with it? Do we sing a counterpoint? Do we purposefully sound discordant tones? Perhaps a student first encountering Tao endeavors to harmonize with it, but that isn’t all that there is to having a relationship with Tao. Tao gives us the background, the broad circumstances. It is up to us to fit into it, go against it, or even flutter off on oblique angles. Don’t look at Tao as one big inexorable stream in which we float like dead logs. What could that lead to except logjams? No, let us be like the birds. Who sing when Tao send them rain. Who know what to do when winter comes. Who embroider the sky with their own unique paths. Who will sing a counterpoint when they need to. who will sing poetry that is discordant when it must be and rhymes when it is proper. singing 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9
archived at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/115/singing.html a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html
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dao rest
The year’s end is coming; Perseverance is a great virtue, but perseverance cannot be cultivated without endings. Perseverance does not mean an endless engagement in Sisyphean tasks. It means beginnings, middles, and ends, and then starting over again. We are nearing the end of our year, but we could not contemplate this ending without having gone through the completions of all the days and months that have come before. It’s good to look toward the end of things. Not only does it provide perspective, but it also provides the stepping-stone to our next endeavor. When things end, it should ideally mean the attainment of our goals. We should start everything with definite goal in mind, otherwise our lives will lack purpose. Once we attain our goals, we should be glad and rest. We need the time for our psyches to absorb the significance of our acts. With rest comes renewal, and with renewal we can build the force of our characters and thereby stand stronger for our futures. In the countryside farmers frequently nap in their carts of hay as their mules automatically take them back home. They know how to make achievements and rest at the same time! rest 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9
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dao joy
In all this talk about spiritual devotion, there is one simple fact. You have to like it. It should make you happy. It is unfortunate that so much coercion, unhappiness, bitterness, guilt, and fear become wrapped up in spirituality. Why can’t we simply do things out of joy? Practicing spirituality isn’t a matter of drudgery. It is’t a matter of fear. It isn’t for fitting into a social group. It has nothing to do with status. Being devoted to holiness in your life is a matter of joy and celebration. When you sit down to meditate, a smile should come to your lips and a feeling of joy should permeate your body. When you go to consecrated ground to give thanks and celebrate, you should do so not because of the day of the week or out of the habit of ritual, but because this is the best way that you know how to adore your gods and express the wonder of being on this earth. Yes, yes, there is much unhappiness in this existence. That unhappiness is part of the overall field of negativity. There are also positive things in life, and spirituality is foremost among them. So whenever we practice our spiritual devotions, let it be in gladness and joy. joy 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9
archived at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/115/joy.html a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html
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dao cameleon
If I don't want to be known, People think that they know you. Soon you begin to play the role that they place on you. Why should you act a certain way to please others? You should do things from your inner awareness and from your own feelings. If they do not accord with the herd, then so much the better. You should change when it pleases you. Your life is flexible. If you let other people shape you, then you will never know independence. The sages say that all life is illusory, and they usually lament this. The way of Tao s to use this fact and not let it oppress you. If you want to dodge others, then step behind one of the myriad illusions in this world. If you do not volunteer anything and you neither conform or deny, the opinions of others can never stick to you. Then you will be left in peace. True sages never go by appearances. When it comes to introspection, they are not deceived by the appearances their own minds spew out. They know that if they want to get at the truth, then they must pierce to the very core. So if you would hide from others, avail yourself of the false appearances of life. If you would know yourself, distinguish between the false appearances of life. Above all, do not be put off by the illusory nature of life. Use it. Everything in this life can be an advantage to the wise. chameleon 365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author) ISBN 0-06-250223-9
archived at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/115/chameleon.html a reading list of books and interpretations of the Daodejing is available at http://www.duckdaotsu.org/dao_books.html
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