Notable Quote

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing […] From this hour, I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines. [ssba_hide]

Walt Whitman

Notable Quote

Our thoughts limit what we’re capable of doing. There are external forces arrayed against us, but there are also internal forces that sabotage us before we even get started. Our mind is good at setting us up for failure and getting us to think small. But I have found that we will do for love that which we don’t think is possible. So the question to ask ourselves is ‘What do I love?'[ssba_hide]

Julia Butterfly Hill

Pace

One aspect of today’s world which could benefit from some adjustment, is the pace at which we consume our lives. Faster, faster, ever faster. Even my dog does it. I give him a piece of scrap from the table. He doesn’t even chew it. His jaw snaps open and shut, only open for the split second that the gravity-powered morsel is exactly in front of his trap. The swallow occurs simultaneously with the jaw snapping shut. He certainly can’t taste it. It doesn’t register in his eyes or his body language that something pleasurable has happened. He’s like the old sword-swallowers. I don’t even think it hits his tongue. There is no enjoyment, because there is no savoring. There is no chewing, no tasting, no rolling it around in the mouth. There is no sense of heaviness, richness, or heat. There is only the swallow. Humans do the same thing. The email bings and...

A Taoist Fable – “Maybe”

There was an old Chinese farmer who lived in a country village, and he and his son worked the fields with their old horse. One day the horse ran away to the hills, and the village people came to the old man to offer sympathy. They said, “It is such an unlucky thing that your horse has run off.” The old man simply replied, “Maybe.” A week later, the old man’s horse returned and brought with it several wild stallions. All the people from the village came to the old man, saying, “It is such a lucky thing.” The old man replied, “Maybe.” The next day, the old man’s son tried to tame one of the wild horses, and was thrown and broke his leg. Again the villagers came, “What an unlucky thing.” The old man again replied, “Maybe.” Three days later, army officials came to conscribe the young men of the village into...

Levels of Self

In books today you will find many references to the “Levels of Self” (my term) that we have inside each of us.  For instance, the Levels of Self that authors usually describe include emotional, mental, psychological, physical, and spiritual.  When you hear these terms from an author, it is usually in regards to finding peace or “our center” in each of these levels.  In other words, finding emotional peace, mental peace, psychological peace, physical peace, and spiritual peace as separate and distinct actions.  In many ways, there is a tacit understanding that there is some kind of ranking, whereby the emotional level is at the bottom of the pile and spiritual is at the top. As far distinguishing between the Levels of Self, for me, the physical level is easy to separate from the pack.  But the rest of these seem like they can all squish together into one big...

Notable Quote

For to him who cannot see the truth in himself no Buddha can reveal it, and he who does not look for it this moment cannot expect to be shown it in the future.

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Alan Watts