Silence on the Spiritual Path

There is no denying, it has been a long and difficult winter for many of us this year.  

As with anything else in life however, we do have a choice how

we handle it. 

Try to embrace the natural quiet and silence that winter brings into our 
lives instead of becoming frustrated.

As pointed out through the words from Taoist author Deng Ming - Dao,

silence is actually a very 
important aspect to our spiritual development.  

As one progresses on the path, one seeks silence more and more.

It will be a great comfort, a tremendous source of solace and peace.

Once you find deep solitude and calm, there will be a great gladness in your heart.

Here finally is the place where you need neither defense or offense - 

the place where you can truly be open.

There will be bliss, wonder, the awe of attaining something pure and sacred.

After that, you will feel adoration of silence.

this is the peace that seems to elude so many.

This is the beauty of the Tao.

"Snowy Crossing" courtesy of Jude McConkey Photography.  

Prints available through her shop on Etsy.

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Sitting - Meditating

Cat sits in the sun.

Dogs sit in the grass.

Turtle sits on the rock.

Frog sits on the lily pad

Why aren't' people so smart?

Those who follow the Tao are fond of pointing out the wisdom of animals.  When they see a cat sitting in the sun or a turtle who stretches her heard upward in a still post, they say that these animals are meditating.  They know how to be still and conserve their internal energy.  They do not dissipate themselves in useless activity but instead withdraw into themselves to recharge.

It is only people who label meditation as some sort of odd religious activity.  This is not the actual case.  Something like meditation happens when we sleep, or when we are absorbed in reading a book, or when we "daydream" and become so lost in a thought or an image that we so not notice what is going on around us.

There is no reason to think of meditation as something out of the ordinary.  Quite the opposite. Meditation is the purest and most natural expression we can have.  When you next look at a cat or a dog sitting still, and admire the naturalness of their actions, think of your own life.  Don't meditate because it is part of your schedule or is demanded by your particular philosophy.  Meditate because this is natural.

~ from 365 Tao Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao

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Living with Balance- Earth Day

Having an awareness of the earth and environment has gained a much needed, critical boost in popularity lately. To the Taoists however, the celebration of earth (and heaven) has always been as it should be...and will be.

The wonderful excerpt below is from a favorite book of mine,  "Everyday Tao:  Living With Balance and Harmony" by Deng Ming-Dao.

It is under the section, "Earth".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

   "what is bountiful?"  the ancients asked.  True bounty was not the treasury of the emperor, but the generosity of the earth.  The golden hills provided home, country, belonging.  The rich, black, fertile-smelling soil gave grain, vegetables, and fruit.  The blue-shadowed mountains gave shelter from the wind and storm.  And the seemingly endless plains and deserts provided ample room for exploration and adventure.  Why worry about the abstruse, the ancients asked, when everything we require has already been given to us?

If you want to follow the Tao, the ancients said, first understand the perfection of heaven and earth.  Wind, rain, and sun come to us through the sky.  The earth gives us our home, our nourishment, jewels for our adornment, minerals for our use, places to travel.  As the old saying goes, "Why look far away for what is close at hand?"  You, like the students of the ancients, may want to study the Tao.  Doing so may be as simple as bending down to pick up a clump of earth.

 So many of us look and look for the Tao.  The masters, it seems, are still pointing one hand to the sky and the other to the earth. ~



 Enjoy "all" your Earth Days
  ~ diane fergurson



"Colorado Rocky Mountain National Park" courtesy of Julie Magers Soulen


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